Baghdad, Iraq (CNN) -- The first results from Iraq's parliamentary elections were released Thursday, five days after millions of Iraqis went to the polls in defiance of the threat of violence.
Two of Iraq's 18 provinces announced early results, which put the group led by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in the lead.
The predominantly Shiite Iraqi National Alliance -- which includes the secular politician Ahmed Chalabi as well as followers of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr -- is in second, followed by Al-Iraqia, a secular party led by former interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi.
But the results are preliminary -- only about a third of the votes in each of the two provinces have been counted, and the other 16 provinces have not announced any results yet.
It may be some time before a clear picture emerges of who will lead Iraq. Final results, which need to be certified by Iraq's Supreme Federal Court, are expected to be released at the end of the month.
If no party wins a majority of seats, then coalition haggling will begin. Millions of Iraqis defied the threat of violence Sunday to cast ballots in the parliamentary elections.
Nearly two out of three eligible voters turned out. Some 38 people were killed in attacks on voting day. About 6,200 candidates from more than 80 political entities are vying for 325 seats in the Council of Representatives, as Iraq's parliament is called.
The political coalition that ends up with the most number of seats in parliament will put forward a candidate for prime minister.
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