The Iraqi Accord Front had earlier praised the election

Iraq's president has called for a new government that includes all ethnic, religious and political groups.

Jalal Talabani, a Kurd, told reporters Iraq "cannot be governed by a majority that ignores the minority".

But the three main Sunni Arab parties that make up the Iraqi Accord Front said the election in Baghdad had been rigged and demanded that Iraq's electoral commission order a new vote.

"We reject these results announced by the commission," said Adnan al-Dulaimi, one of the leaders of the front.

"If the commission does not take steps to restore justice to other lists, we will demand a new election be held."

Tarik al-Hashimi, secretary general of the Iraqi Islamic Party, warned the commission "not to play with fire".

"We will not remain with our arms crossed and we will not abandon those who voted for us," said Khalaf al-Ulayyan, leader of the third party in the bloc, the Iraqi National Dialogue Council.

Sunni Arabs appeared to have voted in large numbers last Thursday, having boycotted the election for the transitional administration in January.

Shias and Kurds dominant

The Iraqi Accord Front came second with 18.6% of the vote in Baghdad Province, partial results from 89% of the ballot boxes showed.

IRAQ ELECTION FACTS 275-seat National Assembly will have four-year term 18 provinces are taken as separate constituencies 230 seats allocated according to population 45 seats distributed to parties whose ethnic, religious or political support is spread over more than one province 15 million eligible voter One third of candidates in each party must be women

The Shia-led United Iraqi Alliance won 58% of the vote in Iraq's largest province, where 2,161 candidates ran for 59 of the Council of Representatives' 275 seats.

Former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's secular Iraqi National List came third.

The election commission also announced that the United Iraqi Alliance was ahead in Basra and eight other southern provinces, and that the Kurdistan Alliance was leading in three northern provinces.

The BBC's Middle East analyst, Roger Hardy, says the results will be bad news for both Mr Allawi and the Iraqi Accord Front, which wants to increase Sunni Arab representation in a parliament currently dominated by Shia and Kurdish parties.

To judge from the votes counted so far, the Shia alliance is likely to retain its dominant position, our correspondent says.

Broad-based government

President Talabani, one of the leaders of the Kurdistan Alliance, has said he wants to see a broad-based government regardless of the election result.

"We want a government linking everyone, Arabs be they Shias or Sunnis, Kurds and Turkomans," he told reporters.

Mr Talabani played down the Sunni complaints and said the election had been carried out fairly.

"Some objections are rational and others are not. It is up to the electoral commission to separate them," he said.

"[The election] strengthened Iraq's standing in the world and proved that the Iraqis are capable of practising democracy."