Sunni Political Groups Want Vote Delayed

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Eight Sunni Muslim political groups have called on the Iraqi government to delay the Jan. 30 elections unless it meets a number of demands, including amending the law that considers the entire country a single constituency.


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The groups, in a statement issued Wednesday, urged the government to reconsider the election law which treats Iraq (news - web sites) as a single constituency and "therefore limits the participation of a great percentage of the Iraqi provinces."


Under the law, all Iraqis will vote for the same list of candidates. Seats will be allocated according to the percentage of the vote each party receives, with an estimated 50,000 votes necessary to win a single seat.

Many Sunnis fear the rival Shiites, estimated to form about 60 percent of Iraq's nearly 26 million people, will dominate the new elected government. If the country is considered a single constituency, Shiite votes would overwhelm those of Sunnis even in areas with a majority Sunni population. Sunnis make up an estimated 20 percent of Iraq's total population.



more: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=736&e=1&u=/ap/20041125/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_elections