Iraqi voters approve constitution
Tuesday, 25 October 2005 22:01
It has been officially announced that the new Iraqi constitution, which envisages a more federal system for the country, has been approved.
At a news conference in Baghdad, Iraq's independent electoral commission said that results from all of the country's 18 provinces showed 78% in favour and 21% against.
The result means new parliamentary elections can take place in December.
It was passed overwhelmingly in Shi'ite and Kurdish areas, but could have failed if three of the Sunni provinces had voted against by a two-thirds margin.
Two of those provinces roundly rejected the constitution, but it was not rejected by the required two-thirds majority in the other Sunni provinces.
11 killed in blasts
At least 13 people have been killed in two suicide car bomb attacks in the Kurdish city of Sulaimaniya.
One suicide bomber in a car blew himself up near a building housing regional officials who deal with Kurdish militia forces, known as the peshmerga, killing 12 people.
Earlier, two other suicide bombers in cars targeted Kurdish official Mulla Bakhtiar as he left his house.
He escaped the assassination attempt, but one of his guards was killed.
One civilian was killed and five others were injured when a suicide car bomber targeted a US military convoy in western Baghdad.
- Morning Ireland: Richard Downes reports from southern Iraq where he is embedded with British soldiers
- Nine News: Richard Downes reports on the outcome of the recent ballot on the draft constitution from the southern city of Basra
- Six One News: Anne-Marie Green reports on the announcement of the results of the recent referendum
- One News: Anne-Marie Green reports on the official results from the referendum earlier this month showing 78% of voters in Iraq have approved the constitution
