After several months of uncertainty, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki has been nominated to a second four-year term. Though this sign of stability in the Iraqi government might otherwise be a relief for the United States, the State Department is unnerved by Maliki's courtship of pro-Iranian Shiite groups to secure his nomination. Steven Lee Myers, Baghadad bureau chief for our partner, The New York Times, reports live from Baghdad.

An Iraqi election committee attempted to bar six members of parliament from taking their newly-won seats on Monday, saying they had ties to Saddam Hussein's Baath Party; and another 42 newly-elected members of parliament may find themselves on the chopping block as well. The commision's move dealt a blow to Ayad Allawi's Iraqiya party, which won a narrow majority of seats in Iraq's March 7th

It has been nearly seven years since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Today, as the country awaits results from the March 7 national election, we check in with Iraqis about the state of their country. 

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.

The votes are still being counted this morning after Iraq's national election yesterday, and results aren't expected until later this week. One of the key areas of voting in the country was the oil rich northern region of Kurdistan. Thanks to the area's oil reserves, the Kurds have exercised a significant amount of influence and power in Iraq's politics in recent years, often acting as a cohesive block. We're joined by Jim Muir, a BBC correspondent in Baghdad, who tells us more about the general election and the unique role Kurds are playing.

In this week's agenda, Marcus Mabry, international business editor for the New York Times, and Jonathan Marcus, BBC diplomatic correspondent, look at what to expect this week. They'll look at the aftermath of Iraq's national elections, Vice President Biden's visit to the Middle East, and the latest news on financial reform.

Millions of Iraqis went to polling stations on Sunday to vote in the nation's parliamentary elections. Sporadic violence was responsible for the deaths of at least 38 people, but early reports indicate the election was largely viewed as a success by the international community. President Obama called the vote a "milestone" on Sunday, but analysts and observers wonder if the election will trigger sectarian violence as it did following Iraq's 2005 elections. 

Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis are expected to go to the polls on Sunday for the nation's first full parliamentary elections since the U.S.-led invasion of 2003. But with violence that some see as scare tactics possibly preventing the delivery of democracy, some in Iraq wonder if the U.S. forces should be extending their stay. Yesterday on CNN Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki hinted at the possibility of asking the American military to stay in the country, but Gen. David Petraeus seems to be holding fast to the goal of an August transition.  

UPDATED: 5:15 p.m. 

Alex Goldmark, Senior Producer, here. 

All is still rolling along smoothly today. We're still planning on covering the elections in Iraq, and to bring you a slew of entertainment and movie coverage tomorrow ahead of this weekend's Oscars. 

With American manufacturing taking an especially big hit this recession, we want to check in on some one-company towns around the country. We'll hear from the Mayors of three small towns that are having different experiences with plant shutdowns, cutbacks and similar dangers to their fragile economies.