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A policeman marks his ballot in a polling station in Baghdad - Source: Reuters -
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The Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, Iraq's largest Shi'ite religious party, said it had come either first or second in provincial polls despite signs it lost major ground to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.
The party, which has controlled most provinces in Iraq's Shi'ite south since the 2003 US-led invasion, said it was content with results of the election, but did not refer directly to reports that Maliki's allies dealt it serious blows.
Instead, it said in a statement that its candidates had placed either first or second in 11 of the 14 provinces that held votes for their local councils, and that it expected to control 20-25% of provincial council seats.
"In any case, the Supreme Council remained a fundamental and primary player in the Iraqi field," it said, adding that the party, known as ISCI, was reaching out to possible provincial coalition partners.
Sunday's election was Iraq's most peaceful vote since the invasion, and was seen as an opportunity to give greater representation to disenfranchised groups, such as once dominant Sunni Arabs who boycotted the last elections in 2005. Sunni resentment fuelled the al Qaeda-led insurgency.
While official results from the ballot will not be made public for days, early indications were that candidates allied with Maliki's Dawa Party had scored victories against ISCI, which was founded in Iran while Saddam Hussein was in charge.
Among the areas where Maliki's State of Law coalition appeared to be headed for a win and perhaps a landslide was the southern oil hub of Basra, a key prize. State of Law candidates also appeared to have done well in Shi'ite parts of Baghdad, including the giant Sadr City slum.
If confirmed, the results could amount to a heavy defeat for religious parties and in particular ISCI, which most overtly used Shi'ite religious symbols and slogans in its campaign.
Analysts say it might reflect a rejection of sectarian and religious politics after years of bloodshed between Iraq's majority Shi'ite and minority Sunni Muslims.
It could also be that Iraqis simply wanted to reward a leader they identify with having presided over a sharp drop in violence over the past year.
Once seen as weak, Maliki gained considerable prestige after he sent US-backed Iraqi troops to crush street gangs and militia in Basra and Sadr City last year. Dawa was founded as an Islamist party, but Maliki campaigned on a nationalist law-and-order message before Saturday's vote.
If the success of his allies is confirmed, Maliki will have gained considerable momentum ahead of parliamentary elections at the end of the year in which he will be trying to renew his mandate. ISCI is the major Shi'ite partner in his governing coalition in Baghdad.
Maliki is also a proponent of a strong centralised Iraqi state, a stand that worries ethnic Kurdish leaders in semi-autonomous Kurdistan in the north, and which conflicts with ISCI's push for greater autonomy for the Shi'ite south.
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