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Basra takes small step toward autonomy

Iraq's election authority certified a minor victory on Monday for a movement that seeks to transform Basra province into a region with autonomy akin to Kurdistan.
Iraqis stand outside a polling station in Basra after voting in Iraq's national elections on April 30, 2014. (ALI ABU IRAQ/Iraq Oil Report/Metrography)

Iraq's election authority certified a minor victory on Monday for a movement that seeks to transform Basra province into a region with autonomy akin to Kurdistan.

The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) said that petitioners had collected 46,212 legitimate signatures of Basrawis supporting the formation of a region – more than 2 percent of the population of the province, and enough to move one step closer to a decisive referendum.

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