Vote in Basra could take secular turn
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BASRA, Iraq -- Residents of this southern city of 1.8 million have learned over the past two years not to criticize the Shi'ite Islamic parties that have controlled its government -- at least, not out loud.
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Waiting patiently in long lines at polling stations, Iraqis in the mainly Shi'ite southern city of Basra celebrated the chance to vote Sunday.
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More Iraqi interim government officials are calling for postponing Jan. 30 elections to ensure a higher Sunni voter turnout, a sign that a campaign of violence might be taking its toll on Iraqi resolve. The country's electoral commission, however, insists that voting take place as scheduled.
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Turkey's Islamic-rooted ruling party led parliamentary elections Sunday with 39.2 percent of the votes counted, CNN-Turk television reported. channel. The election is viewed as pivotal in determining the balance between Islam and secularism in the nation of more than 70 million.
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BAGHDAD, Dec 9  - Iraq&#39;s majority Shiite Muslims on Thursday unveiled a broad alliance ahead of next month&#39;s key elections that is backed by their highest religious leader but which excludes radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
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IRAQ&#39;S landmark vote next month is under increasing pressure, with terrorism leader Osama bin Laden telling Iraqis anyone taking part in the elections will be &quot;infidels&quot;.
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Bristling with guards, the polling station looks more like a fortress than a school, but Iraqis in this Shi'ite Muslim city say the clampdown ahead of Sunday's election day is reassuring.
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Some members of the Sunni Muslim minority in Iraq should get positions in the new government following next month&#39;s elections, US Senators Carl Levin and Richard Lugar said.
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In elections this Sunday, liberal Turks may turn their backs on the secular elite that they have long supported.
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Today's election pits the secular against the Islamic, but ethnic tensions could be the decisive factor.
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A convert to Islam stands an election victory away from becoming the second Muslim elected to Congress and a role model for a faith community seeking to make its mark in national politics.
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With three months left before a landmark election, a group of hard-line Sunni Muslim clerics may hold the key to Iraq's future.
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Iraq's elections will be legitimate if roughly half the Sunni Arab minority votes despite threats of violence, a leading politician in the Shi'ite alliance expected to dominate the polls said on Saturday.
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Basra was once known as a teeming port city that boasted a mix of culture and religion.
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Moroccans vote in a general election on Friday that is expected to see the main Islamist party make gains that could throw up a new challenge for the reforming King Mohammed VI.
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A sectarian split is a risk in Iraq's Jan. 30 election.
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Iraq's elections will be legitimate if  roughly half the Sunni Arab minority votes despite threats of  violence, a leading politician in the Shi'ite alliance expected  to dominate the polls said on Saturday.