**The Iraqi political group of radical Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr has rejected both of the front-running candidates for prime minister.**The members of the Sadrist bloc voted for former Interim Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari in a referendum.
The Sadrist bloc of 40 parliamentary seats could have swung the decision for either Iyad Allawi or Nouri Maliki who lead the two biggest political blocs.
The decision means it may take months not weeks to form a government.
The referendum offered a choice of five candidates, all of them Shias - Mr Maliki, Mr Allawi, Mr Jaafari, Vice-President Adel Abdel Mahdi, and Jaafar Mohammed Baqir Sadr, the cousin of Moqtada Sadr and son of the revered Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Sadiq Sadr, who was assassinated during the rule of Saddam Hussein.
Crushed
In the informal poll of grass-roots supporters, Mr Maliki came only fourth, with 10% of the votes.
The man who heads the coalition which narrowly won the election, Iyad Allawi, came behind Mr Maliki with 9% of the vote.
Mr Jaafari, a former doctor, headed the American-appointed interim government in 2005.
He was seen at the time as a popular leader who wanted to unify Sunni and Shia interests.
He was replaced by Mr Maliki as head of the largest Shia coalition in 2006.
As prime minister, Mr Maliki crushed the military wing of the Sadr organisation, the Mehdi Army, in an offensive during 2008.
If the Sadrist movement had backed one of the two top contenders their role as kingmakers would have been clear the BBC’s Jim Muir reports from Baghdad.
The bloc’s choice of Mr Jaafari is not likely to be viewed with enthusiasm by other political blocs, our correspondent says.
It is a month since the general election was concluded.
None of the political groups won a big enough majority to form a government.
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