Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki held a wide lead on Saturday in early results from Baghdad, the major prize in a tight election race that Iraqis hope will bring stability after years of sectarian conflict.

But partial results from 11 of Iraq's 18 provinces, representing only a small fraction of the vote, showed a contest too close to call six days after the March 7 polls and suggested weeks or months of horse-trading ahead to form a government.

Maliki's State of Law coalition is leading among three top rivals as electoral officials slowly release initial figures.

A cross-sectarian, secularist list headed by former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi is running second, and the Iraqi National Alliance (INA), a rival to Maliki among Iraq's Shi'ite majority, is a close third.

Politicians promised the parliamentary election would bring better governance and security as the United States prepares to end combat operations seven years after ousting Saddam Hussein.

With just 18 percent of the count completed in Baghdad, analyst Hazem al-Nuaimi cautioned against reading too much into Saturday's results. It is unclear which parts of the capital, largely segregated along sectarian lines after the killing unleashed in 2003, the early votes represent.

"It is clear that the final votes will be distributed among the blocs closely," Nuaimi said. "This means there will no winning bloc with a big margin."

Days after the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) expected to release full initial results, Maliki's coalition led in five provinces.