������

Iraqi authorities confirmed the manual counting of votes from last week's�� was completed across polling stations on Saturday.

Political parties across the country are now awaiting the final results of Sunday’s elections, with the Prime Minister’s Advisor for Election Affairs Abdul-Hussein Al-Hindawi saying "results of the manual count are identical to the electronic one,” state news agency reported.

The reports came after the��Independent High Electoral Commission��had��announced earlier today that 95% of the manual counting had been completed in all 3,681 stations.��

Iraq’s government has reiterated on several occasions this week that the election was fair and professional after political groups earlier accused officials��of mishandling votes.

Baghdad has also pointed to praise from international observers.

Speaking at a Chatham House panel discussion on the elections, member of the European Parliament Viola Von Cramon-Taubadel said: “In terms of administration, in terms of having everything, people knew what they were doing and the technology worked, mainly — I cannot say this for Berlin, honestly.”��

The initial results of the elections came as a shock to some of Iraqi politics' biggest kingmakers. Their parties and blocs trailed far behind��the����led by cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, which won more than 70 of Iraqi parliament's 329 seats, while the Al-Fateh Alliance, which includes factions of the Popular Mobilisation loyal to Iran, recorded��a painful loss.

Sadr, whose relations with Iran-backed groups have at times been acrimonious,��defended the election results.

The Sadrist bloc is to put forward one of its members as choice��for prime minister,����quoted Sadrist��representative Nasser al-Rubaie as saying��on Friday.