BAGHDAD — Shi'ite factions have failed to achieve a majority in
Iraq's new parliament, but agreed to a national unity government.
The Independent Electoral Commission issued results that showed Shi'ite
parties winning 128 out of 275 seats in the Dec. 21 vote for a permanent
parliament. The uncertified results showed significant gains by Sunni
parties.
Safwad Rashid Sidqi, a spokesman for the Independent Electoral
Commission, announced the results at a televised news conference on Jan. 20.
Sidqi reported the decline of the United Iraqi Alliance, with 128 seats, 10
short of a majority. The alliance, whose leader was targeted for
assassination over the weekend, controlled the outgoing transitional
assembly with 146 seats.
Over the weekend, the United Iraqi Alliance agreed to help establish a
national unity government with Kurds and Sunnis, Middle East Newsline reported. Kurdish factions said they
would cooperate.
Sunni political parties were said to have won 20 percent of the
parliament. Sidqi reported that the National Concord Front won 44 seats and
the National Dialogue Front won 11.
Kurdish factions were said to have lost representation in the new
parliament. The Kurdish Alliance dropped from 75 to 53 deputies. The Kurdish
Islamic Party rose from two to five seats.
The Iraqi National List, a secular party led by former Prime Minister
Iyad Alawi, dropped from 40 to 25 seats. Alawi and Sunni politicians have
alleged election fraud, a charge echoed by an independent monitoring group.
A range of smaller parties won 14 seats in parliament. Deputy Prime
Minister Ahmad Chalabi, a Shiite politician regarded as close to the U.S.
Congress and Pentagon, failed to win a seat.
The government has not determined a date for the start of the new
Council of Representatives. A two-thirds majority would be required to
select a president, who, in turn, would choose a prime minister from
parliament's largest bloc.
The election results were announced amid a new spike in violence against
the Baghdad regime. Over the weekend, the convoy of President Jalal Talabani
was bombed in northern Iraq.
Talabani was not in the convoy, but five of his bodyguards were injured.
Bombings and mortar attacks were also reported in Baghdad and Ramadi.
