IIP joins provincial election in Basra for the first time

BASRA / IraqiNews.com: The Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP) is preparing to join the provincial elections in Basra for the first time, according to the head of the IIP’s Basra office. “The previous election did not bring people what they were looking for, as far as services and better living circumstances are concerned,” Sheikh Abdilkareem Jarad told IraqiNews.com news agency. “We decided to have an active participation in the upcoming provincial elections in Basra,” he said. “We want to have our clear impact on construction, in addition to contributing to a sort of balance in the political scene in the province,” he added. 81 political blocs and entities will be competing by the end of this month to get the votes of more than 1.435 million voters, to occupy the 35 seats of Basra provincial council. The oil-rich city of Basra lies 590 km south of Baghdad. MH (P)/SR 1