Iraq election: Polls show Iraqi PM lags behind Shia rivals

Initial results from Iraq‘s parliamentary elections suggest an upset, in the first vote since the defeat of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) last year.

A coalition linked to Shia religious leader Muqtada al-Sadr is the current frontrunner, with an alliance of candidates with ties to Iraq’s Shia militia a close second.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is lagging in third place.

The vote has been hit by low turnout, allegations of vote rigging and calls for a recount.

Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid reports from Baghdad.