Maliki ally loses Basra governorship

BASRA - A coalition of parties led by the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI) has won control of the provincial government following April elections, derailing the popular Basra governor, Khalef Abdul Samad.

Samad, a member of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's State of Law coalition, was the most popular candidate in the entire country, winning 130,000 votes. In the post-election coalition building that apportioned executive positions, however, Majid Mahdi Nasrawi was named governor.