Still, Mr Talabani's Kurds may want Mr Allawi in to act as a counterweight to the UIA's pushier elements.

ECONOMIST: Iraq's Shias stick with the devil they know | The

Rather than representing a united Iraq, the UIA is now mainly a religious Shia grouping that includes Mr Jaafari.

ECONOMIST: Iraq takes another step down a long, hard road | The

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 largest group currently, the United Iraqi Alliance (UIA), is expected to keep the top spot: a preliminary count showed it winning almost 60% in Baghdad, the biggest of Iraq's provinces.

ECONOMIST: Iraq takes another step down a long, hard road | The

Secularists and Sunnis do not trust the UIA, however.

ECONOMIST: Iraq takes another step down a long, hard road | The

He served as a spokesman for the party as well as for the broader coalition of Shia parties, the United Iraqi Alliance (UIA), which won the most seats in legislative elections in December 2005.

BBC: Profile: Nouri Maliki