Middle East

Choices Vary in Shia Areas

Voters in the south may be solidly behind the election, but support for the main Shia-led faction is not monolithic.

18 Nov 05

Shia queue up to make their voices heard in city of Nassriyah.

18 Nov 05

Organisers of poll fear Iraqi Kurdistan will lose its autonomy if local leaders become too deeply embroiled in Baghdad politics.

18 Nov 05

Attacks against polling stations appear to have failed to deter much of the capital’s electorate.

18 Nov 05

Parties in Iraqi Kurdistan accuse each other of election fraud.

18 Nov 05

Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani’s call for Shia to vote brought out many of the old and frail.

18 Nov 05

Insurgents shoot off voters’ ink-stained fingers in Baaqubah.

18 Nov 05

Following an election in which turnout seems to have been unexpectedly high, people’s minds are already turning to the new National Assembly.

18 Nov 05

Electoral officials estimate 60 per cent turnout as polling stations sift and collate two sets of election results.

18 Nov 05

By Ghassan Ali in Karbala (ICR No. 108, 01-Feb-05)

18 Nov 05

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