Hasan al-Sneid, a spokesman for al-Maliki's State of Law Coalition, also confirmed that negotiations are continuing.

CNN: New Iraqi political alliance excludes al-Maliki

Saturday's results showed Mr Maliki's State of Law coalition won crucial votes in Baghdad and the oil-rich Basra province.

BBC: Iraq PM Nouri Maliki's bloc leads provincial elections

Shia, such as Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's State of Law coalition, the Islamic Supreme Council led by cleric Ammar al-Hakim and the Sadrist Movement led by radical Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr.

BBC: Q&A: Iraqi provincial elections

Under fire from his Shia allies and under pressure to reconcile with Iraq's Sunni community, he split from the UIA in early 2009 and formed the broader-based State of Law coalition.

BBC: Profile: Nouri Maliki

The prime minister's State of Law Coalition, which mainly includes members of his Dawa party, won control of most of the country's provincial councils in January's elections, turning back mainly Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq opposition.

CNN: New Iraqi political alliance excludes al-Maliki

The incumbent prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, and his Shia-led State of Law group are still trying to build a ruling coalition, as is his chief rival, Iyad Allawi, whose mainly Sunni-backed group won two more seats than Mr Maliki's.

ECONOMIST: Iraq's insurgency

The bill is endorsed by U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a bipartisan coalition of state and local legislators, law enforcement and medical professionals, and most recently the New York chapter of Treatment Communities of America, an association of providers serving people with substance abuse issues.

FORBES: Plan to Stem Prescription Drug Crisis in New York Fuels Disagreement