14/02/2005

Shia party looks for partner in Iraqi Assembly

Following the Iraqi election results, a coalition of parties under the Shia United Iraq Alliance (UIA), is likely to move to vote in a new prime minister.

However, despite topping the polls, the UIA party on its own did not return sufficient candidates to form a majority in the Iraqi parliament. Forming a democratic coalition may take some time and among the likely coalition partners are a grouping of Kurdish parties that polled in second place.

The UIA party's Adel Adbel Mahdi, who is finance minister in the current interim administration, is tipped to take the post of prime minister in the elected Iraq parliament. The alliance has attracted the backing of senior Shia clerics, including Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, and Mr Mahdi has appealed for "solidarity and unity" in the wake of the elections.

Among the first tasks for the newly elected parliament will be the creation of a constitution for Iraq.

The complex elections organised by an Independent Electoral Commission on January 30 saw voting for three separate bodies: an Interim National Assembly; a Kurdistan National Assembly; and 18 regional 'governorate' councils.

The Electoral Commission has described the results as "provisional" as registered parties may yet lodge appeals.

The largely secular party led by the allied coalition, pending an election, polled poorly taking only 14% of the vote. The UIA, Shia alliance, polled top with 48% of the vote and the second largest group of Kurdish parties took around 26% of the vote.

Despite violence and intimidation in the run up to the election, the Electoral Commission said that 58% of those Iraqis that registered to vote cast their ballots.

Commenting on the election results US President George W Bush said that Iraqi voters were to be commended for "defying terrorist threats".

(SP)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

23 June 2003
Disarray in UUP as three MPs resign party whip
The resignation of three of the Ulster Unionist Party's MPs from the parliamentary whip earlier today was quickly follows by calls for party leader David Trimble to change party policy or resign.
14 May 2014
'Ethnic Minority Poster Girl' Quits UKIP
Sanya-Jeet-Thandi, a 21-year-old student at the London School of Economics, who was described by Nigel Farage as "the future face of UKIP" has quit the party accusing it of "descending into a form of racist populism".
14 June 2004
Labour slam Tories despite receiving worst vote since 1918
Despite putting in its worst electoral performance since 1918, the Labour Party has claimed that the European elections represented a "disaster for the Tories". The Tories achieved a 27.4% share of the vote and 25 seats in the European Parliament – they also attracted 36% of the local election voters. Labour won 17 MEPs seats with 22.
24 September 2007
Brown Delivers Speech To Labour Party Conference
Gordon Brown has delivered his first speech to the annual Labour Party conference as Prime Minister, as speculation continues over whether he will call a snap election in the autumn. Mr Brown's speech at the Bournemouth conference focused on being tough on crime, improving the health service and education and dealing with immigration.
23 October 2003
IDS vows to lead Tories into next election
Embattled Tory party leader Iain Duncan Smith has pledged to fight on and lead the Conservative Party into the next election. At a press conference held today in the East Midlands, Mr Duncan Smith sought to focus on Tory party policy issues, while fielding questions from reporters about the speculation surrounding his future as Tory leader.