Iraq constitution ratified in referendum

The Iraqi constitution has been ratified after a large majority of Iraqis voted in favour of the charter.

The Iraqi constitution has been ratified after a large majority of Iraqis voted in favour of the charter.

Sunni-dominated regions showed strong opposition to the document, but voting there fell short of the three-quarters needed in at least three of Iraq 's 16 provinces to defeat it.

Iraq's landmark constitutional was adopted by of 78 per cent of voters in the referendum earlier this month while 21 per cent opposed it. Turnout was recorded at 63 per cent.

The outcome was in doubt to the last because of the risk of a regional blocking vote in provinces with big Sunni Arab populations.

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Results released by the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq showed that Sunni Arabs, who had sharply opposed the draft document, narrowly failed to produce the three-quarters "no" vote they would have needed in at least three of Iraq's 16 provinces to defeat it.

Two Sunni-dominated provinces - Salahuddin (81 per cent) and Anbar (96 per cent) - had voted heavily against the charter, but the Ninevah province fell short of the 75 per cent rejection point with a vote of 55 per cent against the charter.

Under the rules, the charter would not have been ratified if three provinces voted by at least two-thirds against it.

A parliamentary election scheduled for mid-December will now elect a parliament with full constitutional powers for four years.

Had the charter been blocked, parliament would have had only interim powers for a year while it drew up another draft constitution .