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In the Marshes Islamists lose elections, commies win some
EFL - a week ago in the GuardianHerded into lines by inexperienced police officers, hundreds of would-be Iraqi voters ...Deep in the marshlands of the Euphrates, the town of 15,000 people was the first to rise against Saddam Hussein in the abortive intifada of 1991. Now it was holding the first genuine election in its history.... the results have been surprising. Seventeen towns have voted, and in almost every case secular independents and representatives of non-religious parties did better than the Islamists.... In Shatra, a town of 250,000, the Communist party [probably they somewhat resemble the EU socialist type parties] won four seats and independents seven... The Islamists had a majority in the former council which was appointed last summer. After the election they were cut back to four seats out of 15. "It was not a surprise," said Jalil Abed Jafar, a doctor, in the Communist partyâs upstairs offices along the waterfront... Posted by: mhw 2004-04-11 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=30219 |