BAGHDAD: Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, the Shiite leader who helped ease Iraq’s deadly sectarian conflict, emerged today as a front-runner

after an election seen as a test of the nation’s young democracy.

The key estimates from the Baghdad region, which could swing the results of the vote, were not yet available but local officials said Maliki’s political bloc was so far leading in nine of Iraq’s 18 provinces. Millions voted on Sunday, braving rocket, mortar and bomb attacks that killed 38 people to cast their ballots in the second parliamentary election since US-led forces ousted now-executed dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003.

President Barack Obama, who has promised to withdraw all US troops from Iraq by the end of next year, paid tribute to “the courage and resilience of the Iraqi people who once again defied threats to advance their democracy.” Maliki’s State of Law Alliance was ahead in Shiite regions, while Iyad Allawi, an ex-premier who heads the Iraqiya list, was leading in Sunni areas, said estimates AFP obtained from officials across the country.

Official final results are not due until the end of March and, after that, it is likely to take months of horsetrading before a new government is formed as no political bloc is set to emerge dominant from the vote.

But early indications were looking good for Maliki.