Initial results show Mr.Maliki's State of Law bloc with a slim overall lead over former prime minister Iyad Allawi and his secular Iraqiya faction.

VOA: standard.2010.03.12

His follow-up stint as a watermelon farmer in Oklahoma earned him the nickname Watermelon Slim, a name he also gives to his own special brand of music.

VOA: standard.2010.08.04

The Liberal Democrats can't form a majority government on their own either and the Conservative chances of doing that, which were slim when the campaign started, have receded - they're the main victim of the surge in support for the Liberal Democrats that occurred last week."

VOA: standard.2010.04.23