The National Independent Cadres and Elites (NICE) is an Iraqi political party. It represents Shi'ites who are unwilling to accept the moderate approach of the United Iraqi Alliance. It is closely associated with the movement of Moqtada al-Sadr and the Mahdi Army. The party is led by newspaper editor Fatah al-Sheikh. In the 2005 Iraqi elections, NICE received just under 70,000 votes, about 0.8% of those cast, earning them three seats in the transitional National Assembly of Iraq. Shia Islam ( Arabic شيعى follower; English has traditionally used Shiite or Shiite) is the second largest Islamic denomination; some 20-25% of all Muslims are said to follow a Shia tradition. ... The United Iraqi Alliance is one of the electoral coalitions that participated in the January 30, 2005 National Assembly election in Iraq. ... Muqtada al-Sadr Muqtada al-Sadr (Arabic: مقتدى الصدر, also transliterated as Moqtada Alsadr) (b. ... The Mahdi Army, also known as the Mehdi Army or Jaish-i-Mahdi, is a militia force created by the Iraqi radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr in June of 2003. ... Iraqi police officers hold up their index fingers marked with purple indelible ink, a security measure to prevent double voting. ... The Iraqi National Assembly is the unicameral parliament of Iraq which meets in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. ...