The final results of Iraq's general elections are to be announced on Sunday, two weeks after Iraqis took part in the polls.

"We will announce the final results tomorrow," electoral commission official Farid Ayar said on Saturday. 

"These will be the uncertified results. We will wait for three days for possible claims by political entities. If there are none, then the results will be certified," he added. 

Based on partial results previously released by the electoral commission, the final figures should confirm that the 275-member National Assembly will be dominated by Shia and Kurds. 

The main Shia coalition list, which was blessed by Grand Ayat Allah Ali al-Sistani, could muster half the seats in parliament, while the ticket grouping the two main Kurdish parties was also poised to make a strong showing. 

The Iraqi List of current interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi looked set for a distant third place, which observers predicted would force him to relinquish his post.

PHOTO CAPTION

An Iraqi boy checks the propeller of a damaged U.S. army helicopter after a hard landing west of Baghdad, February 13, 2005. (REUTERS)