Electoral showdown in Iraq after early returns

The preliminary results of Sunday’s general elections in Iraq show a very tight race between current Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and the secular coalition led by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi.

The post-electoral confusion deepened with both sides throwing charges of fraud.

Brian Katulis, a Senior Fellow at American Progress who has closely followed these elections, joins us.

We also speak with Raed Jarrar, an architect living in Washington DC. He emigrated from Iraq to the US in 2005 and now carries both passports. Raed returned from a trip to Iraq a few weeks ago.