Iraqi election results closer to being certified

BAGHDAD – Iraq's election commission says it's sending the final results of the March 7 elections to the Supreme Court for certification.

Commission spokesman Qassim al-Aboudi says the results will be sent to the court on Wednesday. He didn't say when their certification was expected but once they are certified, it will clear a major obstacle to the formation of the new government.

Al-Aboudi says the commission has rejected all appeals of the results by candidates, which paved the way for submitting the tally to the court.

A Sunni-backed bloc won the most seats in the 325-member parliament, but fell far short of a majority.

An alliance of two Shiite blocs — which together are just four seats short of a majority — is now expected to form the next government.