More reject Iraqi constitution

2005-10-24 15:50

Baghdad - The volatile Sunni-dominated province of Al-Anbar in western Iraq has rejected the country's new post-Saddam Hussein constitution by 96.95%, election officials said on Monday.

Under election rules, the result from Anbar means that the draft charter could be defeated if one more province musters a majority of two-thirds against it, even if an overall majority of votes nationwide are in favour.

Officials announced on Saturday that the province of Salaheddin had rejected the constitution by 81.5% in the October 15 vote.

If three of Iraq's 18 provinces vote against the charter with a two-thirds majority, it will be rejected, new elections held and a new draft written.

The results of a final four provinces - Arbil, Babel, Basra and Nineveh - should be available on Tuesday or Wednesday, senior electoral official Abdul Hussein al-Hindawi said.

While the first three are expected to easily approve the constitution, Sunni-dominated Nineveh and its mixed, restive capital of Mosul looked set to decide the issue for the entire country.

- AFP