Shi'ite bloc wins Iraq polls

A Shi'ite Islamist bloc won Iraq's first election since Saddam Hussein's overthrow, sealing the political resurgence of the long-oppressed majority but leaving the restive Sunni Arab minority in the cold.

The Electoral Commission said yesterday the Shi'ite list, known as the United Iraqi Alliance, took more than 47 per cent of the vote. But that was less than the bloc had predicted and leaves it six or seven seats short of a majority in parliament.

A powerful Kurdish alliance came second with 25 per cent, while a grouping led by interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, a secular Shi'ite, came third with nearly 14 per cent.

Few Sunni Arabs took part in the January 30 voting, which means the minority that has traditionally ruled modern Iraq and held a privileged position under Saddam, a Sunni, will have just a handful of National Assembly seats and little political clout.

That could stoke the insurgency in Iraq which is being fought mainly by Sunni Arab guerillas who want to drive out US-led troops and overthrow the American-backed government.

The commission said 8.55 million Iraqis, or 58 per cent of registered voters, cast ballots in the January 30 poll, Iraq's first multi-party election for half a century. The number of valid votes was around 8.45 million.

The national vote was for a 275-member National Assembly that must agree on a president and two vice-presidents by a two-thirds majority. Those three officials will then agree on a prime minister and cabinet, and their choices must be approved by a majority in the assembly.

Sunni Arab turnout was low. Only two per cent of eligible voters in the Sunni-dominated Anbar province cast ballots, and only 29 per cent in the mainly Sunni Salahadin province. Sunnis make up about 20 per cent of Iraq's 27 million people.

The main Sunni Arab group in the assembly will probably be a bloc led by President Ghazi al-Yawar, although it is set to have only around five seats. A secular party led by Sunni elder statesman Adnan Pachachi looked unlikely to win any seats.

"The image of Iraq that these results suggest is not real. That is obvious," Mr Pachachi said.

In another sign of tensions ahead, Kurds in the ethnically mixed city of Kirkuk erupted in celebrations after results showed them well ahead in the provincial vote - an outcome that will anger Arabs and Turkmen, who also lay claim to the city.

With no bloc gaining dominance on its own, there has already been furious horse-trading to try to strike deals.

The United Iraqi Alliance insists that one of its candidates - probably current Finance Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi or Vice President Ibrahim Jaafari - be appointed prime minister.

The Kurds want their candidate, Jalal Talabani, to be president or prime minister. Under one scenario, the two blocs could do a deal with a Shi'ite candidate getting the prime minister's job and Talabani the presidency.

But Mr Allawi, who visited Kurdistan on Saturday and met Talabani, may also try to form alliances to improve his chances. If he can make a deal with the Kurds and persuade some of the Shi'ite alliance to break away, he may be able to keep his job.