That is a blow to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who claimed there was election fraud and won a court appeal for the recount after his coalition came in second by two seats.

Saad al-Rawi, commissioner of the Independent High Electoral Commission, said the recount of Baghdad votes has been completed. The province is allowed 68 seats out of 325 in Iraq's parliament.

Qassim Al-Aboudi, another IHEC commissioner, told reporters that there was a minor difference in the number of votes, but not enough to affect the results for Baghdad province. It did not exceed 3,000 votes, he said.

More than two months after the balloting, there has been no clear winner, and the final results in each of Iraq's 18 provinces need to be certified in federal court before the parliament can be seated.

Former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's mainly secular al-Iraqia won a narrow victory with 91 seats, while al-Maliki's predominantly Shiite State of Law coalition won 89. To form a government, a 163-seat majority is needed.

Critics of al-Maliki say he has been wrangling to chip away at Allawi's lead by pursuing the recount and forming a coalition with the rival Iraqi National Alliance, a coalition of Shiite parties.

That merger would form a bloc with 159 seats, four seats away from having the majority they would need to form a government.

But Allawi's bloc maintains that it has the right to try to put together a Cabinet first because it won the election.