Election results due Monday are expected to put Nuri al-Maliki in the driver's seat to remain Iraq's prime minister for a third term despite vocal opposition and markedly worsening security.

The tallies from the April 30 general election, delayed for weeks due to a litany of complaints according to the electoral commission, are likely to show Maliki's bloc won the most seats in parliament but fell short of a majority.

That would mean the incumbent, who hails from Iraq's Shiite majority, would require the support of Sunni Arab and Kurdish parties.

But many of these have refused to countenance another term for Maliki, who they accuse of consolidating power and being to blame for a protracted surge in unrest.

Leaked reports released by political parties and reported by Iraqi media throughout the vote counting process have said Maliki's State of Law alliance would win around 90 out of 328 seats in parliament.

A handful of smaller parties -- including those linked to former premier Iyad Allawi, powerful Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, and Kurdish regional president Massud Barzani -- are estimated to each win between around 20 and 30 seats.

Regardless of the final results, the government formation process is expected to take months as the various parties are likely to seek an all-encompassing government package, including the selection of the president and the speaker of parliament.

Under a de facto agreement between Iraq's communities, the prime minister is a Shiite Arab, the president a Kurd and the parliament speaker a Sunni Arab.