Maliki's Allies Win Big in Provincial Vote

Maliki's party wins 38% of Baghdad vote, 37% in Basra
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Feb 5, 2009 9:51 AM CST
Maliki's Allies Win Big in Provincial Vote
Followers of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, seen on poster, attend Friday prayers in the Sadr City area of Baghdad on Jan. 30, 2009.   (AP Photo)

Allies of Iraq's prime minister finished first in races for ruling councils in Baghdad and eight other provinces, official results from last weekend's election show. Nouri al-Maliki's party won 38% of the vote in Baghdad, the election commission said. His party was followed by allies of anti-US cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and a Sunni party, with 9% each.

In Basra, the country's second-biggest city, the prime minister's followers won 37% of the vote. The Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, the biggest Shiite party, won 11.6%. Voters chose ruling councils in 14 of the 18 provinces in the first election since December 2005. (More Iraq stories.)

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