Baghdad – Iraq's prime minister is pressing the electoral commission to respond to calls from several political blocs for a recount in the March 7 parliamentary elections.

A statement on Nouri al-Maliki's official Web site late Saturday said he was asking the commission to respond to the recount demands to preserve the legitimacy of the electoral process.

However, he appeared to stop short of demanding a recount himself.

The latest partial results, released Saturday, show al-Maliki's secular challenger leading by a slim margin over the prime minister's coalition in the overall tally. But al-Maliki is winning in seven of Iraq's 18 provinces. Parliament seats are allotted based on the outcome of voting in each province.