Iraq Shiite Group Protests Ballot List
A group of 38 Shiite Muslim political parties broke off ballot negotiations Tuesday with backers of Iraq’s most influential Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, in a dispute over the candidate list.
Hussein Mousawi, spokesman for the Shiite Political Council, said the group acted because “the top 10 names in the list are extremist Shiite Islamists who believe in the rule of religious clerics.”
He also complained that his coalition would get only 10 spots on the ballot for the scheduled Jan. 30 election.
A party will control seats in the 275-member assembly based on the proportion of votes it receives.
The Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, known for its ties with Iran, was given 33 places and the Dawa Party got 27. Mousawi said followers of radical cleric Muqtada Sadr had been promised at least 27.
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