Secular party triumphs in vote
Voters deprived an Islamist party of an expected parliamentary victory, handing it instead to a secular conservative party that is a member of the ruling coalition, according to preliminary results. If confirmed, the results would mean continuity for a key U.S. ally in the Arab world.
The conservative and secular Istiqlal party won five more seats than the Justice and Development Party, or PJD, whose growing strength has worried its secular rivals. The PJD is likely to be included in a coalition government for the first time.
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