M A I N   N E W S

Shiites win Iraq poll

Baghdad, February 13
Iraq's long-oppressed Shiite majority scored a resounding victory in the first vote since Saddam Hussein's downfall, setting the stage for the first Shiite government in an Arab state in 1,000 years.

The main Shiite list, known as the United Iraqi Alliance, backed by powerful spiritual leader Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, won almost half the votes cast in the January 30 poll, followed by Kurdish parties.

The Alliance won 48.1 per cent of the vote, giving it at least 132 seats in the new 275-member national assembly that will draw up a constitution.

The ticket, grouping the two main Kurdish parties, also made a strong showing, winning 25.7 per cent of the vote and an estimated 71 seats, making Kurds well-placed to secure a major parliamentary presence and a top government job after decades of struggle against successive Sunni regimes. — AFP