SIIC beats Sadrists in primary election

KARBALA, Iraq, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Candidates with the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council trounced Sadrists in an unofficial primary contest in Karbala for January parliamentary elections.

Iraqi lawmakers passed long-awaited amendments to a national election law Sunday, paving the way for a Jan. 21 parliamentary election.

The two Shiite movements held internal vetting to see who would represent each party in the upcoming parliamentary contest.

The Iraqi analytical Web site Niqash reports the influential SIIC movement brought in more than 100,000 votes compared to Sadrists, who attracted just 17,000 votes in the overall vote.

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari unveiled a new Shiite bloc in August, the Iraqi National Alliance, that includes SIIC and Sadrist lawmakers.

The INA slate is expected to launch a campaign to unseat Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in the January election.

Maliki, for his part, said that his State of Law coalition would unite 40 parties to compete in the January parliamentary elections.

Maliki in a speech at the fortified Green Zone described the coalition as one removed from the "the politics of marginalization, discrimination and tyranny."

The alliance unites members of Maliki's Dawa Party, independents, socialists and Kurdish slates. Maliki lead a coalition under the State of Law banner to a sweeping victory in the January provincial elections, trouncing many of his Shiite rivals.