The United Iraqi Alliance (Arabic: الائتلاف العراقي الموحد; transliterated: al-I'tilāf al-`Irāqī al-Muwaḥḥad) is the electoral coalition that achieved the most votes in the December 15, 2005, National Assembly election in Iraq. The member groups of the coalition are listed below. Arabic (; , less formally, ) is the largest member of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family (classification: South Central Semitic) and is closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. ... Due to the fact that the Arabic language has a number of phonemes that have no equivalent in English or other European languages, a number of different transliteration methods have been invented to represent certain Arabic characters, due to various conflicting goals: A desire to stay consistent with traditional usage... December 15 is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Iraqis in the predominantly Sunni city of Husaybah, wait in lines to vote, during the national election, December 15. ...

The alliance formed in the lead up to the January 2005 elections from mainly Shi'ite groups most importantly the Islamic Al-Da'wa Party and Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq. Other important members included the secular Iraqi National Congress led by Ahmed Chalabi, which has since left the coalition, and nuclear physicist Hussain Shahristani. It also included supporters of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr who prefered not to back his National Independent Cadres and Elites party, and a number of independent Sunni representatives. The coalition was widely believed to have been supported by senior Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the most widely respected religious figure in Iraq, and although the Ayatollah has offered no official endorsement, many in Iraq understand the UIA to be "al-Sistani's list." Iraqi police officers hold up their index fingers marked with purple indelible ink, a security measure to prevent double voting. ... 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 Islamic Dawa Party (Arabic transliteration: al-Dawa al-Islamiyya) is an Iraqi political organization. ... The Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) is an Iraqi political party; its support comes from the countrys Shia Muslim community and from their fellow religionists in neighbouring Iran. ... The Iraqi National Congress (INC) is an umbrella Iraqi opposition group led by Ahmed Chalabi. ... Ahmed Chalabi Ahmed Abdel Hadi Chalabi1 (Arabic: احمد الجلبي) (born October 30, 1944) is a deputy prime minister in Iraq, and formerly interim oil minister [1]. Once dubbed the George Washington of Iraq by American Neoconservatives, he has since fallen out of favor and is currently under investigation by several government sources. ... Dr. Hussain al-Shahristani is an Iraqi Shiite nuclear scientist. ... Muqtada al-Sadr Muqtada al-Sadr (Arabic: مقتدى الصدر, also transliterated as Moqtada Alsadr) (born c. ... The National Independent Cadres and Elites (NICE) is an Iraqi political party. ... Sunni Islam (Arabic سنّة) is the largest denomination of Islam. ... Ayatollah (Arabic: آية الله; Persian: آيت‌الله) is a high rank given to major Shia clerics. ... Sayyid Ali Husaini Sistani His Honourable Eminence Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Husaini Sistani (Arabic: السيد علي الحسيني السيستاني Persian: سید علی حسینی سیستانی), born approximately August 4, 1930, is a Grand Ayatollah, a Shia marja and currently an important person in relation to the occupation of Iraq. ...

January 2005 elections

Of over 8.46 million votes cast, the UIA received the preponderance at 4.08 million (48.1%), which gave the bloc 140 seats on Iraq's 275-seat National Assembly. Of the 140 seats the UIA garnered, 42 went to women. In total, 86 women held seats in the new Iraqi parliament, which is the highest number in all of the Arab world. An aerial view of Parliament of India at New Delhi. ...

Many members of the Alliance lived in exile in Iran, including Ibrahim al-Jaafari who leads the Islamic Al-Da'wa Party and has emerged as the front-runner to become Iraq's Prime Minister. In 1980 thousands of Al-Da'wa Party supporters were imprisoned or executed after advocating replacing Saddam Hussein's secular Ba'ath Party government with an Islamic government. The Iranian leadership, which had successfully ousted Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi during the 1979 Islamic Revolution, was supportive of their efforts and allowed members of Al-Da'wa to seek exile in Iran. The strong ties the UIA has to Iran, a member of President of the United States George W. Bush's "Axis of Evil", is troubling to some; however, President Bush has expressed hope and offered the candidates and the Iraqi people a congratulatory message. Ibrahim al-Jaafari Dr. Ibrahim al-َAshaiqir al-Jaafari (Arabic: ) (born 1947) is the new Prime Minister of Iraq in the Iraqi Transitional Government following the elections of January 2005. ... The Islamic Dawa Party (Arabic transliteration: al-Dawa al-Islamiyya) is an Iraqi political organization. ... The Prime Minister of Iraq is Iraqs head of government. ... The Islamic Dawa Party (Arabic transliteration: al-Dawa al-Islamiyya) is an Iraqi political organization. ... Wikinews has news related to this article: Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti, (Arabic ), born April 28, 1937 , was President of Iraq from 1979 until his removal and capture after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. ... Bath Party flag The Arab Socialist Bath Party (also spelled Baath or Baath; Arabic: حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي) was founded in 1945 as a radical, left-wing, secular Arab nationalist political party. ... Sharia (Arabic: ; also Sharīah, Sharia, Shariah or Syariah) is the Arabic word for Islamic law, also known as the Law of Allah. ... Shah is a Persian language word for king, adopted in many languages, either actually used as a princely style or to render originals. ... Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi (Persian: محمدرضا شاه پهلوی) (October 26, 1919, Tehran – July 27, 1980, Cairo), styled His Imperial Majesty, Shahanshah (King of Kings), and Aryamehr (Light of the Aryans), was the last Shah of Iran. ... Protestors take to the street in support of Ayatollah Khomeini. ... The President of the United States (fully, President of the United States of America; unofficially abbreviated POTUS) is the head of state of the United States and the chief executive of the federal government. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States. ... The term axis of evil was used by United States President George W. Bush in his State of the Union Address on January 29, 2002 to describe regimes that sponsor terror. The states Bush gave in his speech were Iraq, Iran, and North Korea. ...

In early March 2005, the Iraqi Turkmen Front agreed to join the UIA's caucus in the National Assembly according to Zaman Online. In return, Sistani reportedly pledged support for the recognition of Iraqi Turkmens as a national minority. The Iraqi Turkmen Front (Turkmen: Irak Türkmen Cephesi) is a political movement founded in 1995 which seeks to represent the Turkmen people of Iraq. ... Turkmen people (of which the Turkmen plural is properly Türkmenler or Түркменлер in Cyrillic script) form an ethnic group, part of the Turkic peoples. ...

Prior to the December elections the Iraqi National Congress left, and more of Moqtada al-Sadr's joined. Al-Sistani also stated that he would not support any party in this election. Sayyid Ali Husaini Sistani His Honourable Eminence Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Husaini Sistani (Arabic: السيد علي الحسيني السيستاني Persian: سید علی حسینی سیستانی), born approximately August 4, 1930, is a Grand Ayatollah, a Shia marja and currently an important person in relation to the occupation of Iraq. ...

Parties on the list (22)

• Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI)
• Islamic Dawa Party (al-Dawa)
• Iraqi National Congress (INC)
• Badr Organisation
• Centrist Assembly Party
• Da'wa Islamic Party/Iraq Organisation
• Islamic Fayli Grouping in Iraq
• Fayli Kurd Islamic Union
• Islamic Virtue Party
• First Democratic National Party
• Assembly "Future of Iraq"
• Hezbollah Movement in Iraq
• Hezbollah al-Iraq
• Justice and Equality Grouping
• Islamic Master of the Martyrs Movement
• Islamic Action Organisation
• Islamic Union for Iraqi Turkomans
• Sayyid Al-Shuhadaa Organisation
• Shaheed Al-Mihrab Organisation
• Turkmen Fidelity Movement

The Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) is an Iraqi political party; its support comes from the countrys Shia Muslim community and from their fellow religionists in neighbouring Iran. ... The Islamic Dawa Party (Arabic حزب الدعوة الإسلامية Hizb al-Dawa al-Islamiyya) is an Iraqi political organization. ... The Iraqi National Congress (INC) is an umbrella Iraqi opposition group led by Ahmed Chalabi. ... The Badr Organization originally the Badr Brigade is the armed wing of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq. ... The Islamic Fayli Grouping in Iraq or Iraqi Faili Islamic Gathering is one of two Iraqi political parties of Shiite Fayli Kurds, the other being the Fayli Kurd Islamic Union. ... Islamic Virtue Party (Al-Fadhila Party) is an Iraqi political party. ... The Hezbollah Movement in Iraq is an Iraqi political party that is part of the United Iraqi Alliance coalition. ... The Islamic Action Organisation also known as the Islamic Task Organisation or Munazzamat al-Amal al-Islami is a Shiite political party in Iraq. ...

Candidates on the United Iraqi Alliance List (228)

• Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, leader of SCIRI heads the list
• Ibrahim al-Jaafari, leader of the Islamic Dawa Party
• Ahmad Chalabi (INC)
• Hussain al-Shahristani

Abdul Aziz al-Hakim (b. ... The Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) is an Iraqi political party; its support comes from the countrys Shia Muslim community and from their fellow religionists in neighbouring Iran. ... Ibrahim al-Jaafari Dr. Ibrahim al-ÙŽAshaiqir al-Jaafari (Arabic: ) (born 1947) is the new Prime Minister of Iraq in the Iraqi Transitional Government following the elections of January 2005. ... The Islamic Dawa Party (Arabic حزب الدعوة الإسلامية Hizb al-Dawa al-Islamiyya) is an Iraqi political organization. ... Ahmed Abdel Hadi Chalabi1 (Arabic: احمد الجلبي) (born October 30, 1944) is part of a three-man executive council for the umbrella Iraqi opposition group, the Iraqi National Congress (INC), created in 1992 for the purpose of fomenting the overthrow of Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. ... The Iraqi National Congress (INC) is an umbrella Iraqi opposition group led by Ahmed Chalabi. ... Dr. Hussain al-Shahristani is an Iraqi Shiite nuclear scientist. ...

December 2005 elections

Prior to the December 2005 elections the Alliance lost some members, most prominently the Iraqi National Congress. According to uncertified results released January 20, 2006, the Alliance will have 128 seats in the new parliament. Iraqis in the predominantly Sunni city of Husaybah, wait in lines to vote, during the national election, December 15. ... The Iraqi National Congress (INC) is an umbrella Iraqi opposition group led by Ahmed Chalabi. ...

Parties on the list

• Islamic Da'awa Party
• Islamic Virtue Party
• Centrist Coalition Party
• Bader Organization
• Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution In Iraq
• Turkman Islamic Union of Iraq
• Justice and Equality Assembly
• Iraqi Democratic Movement
• Movement of Hizbullah in Iraq
• Turkmen Loyalty Movement
• Saed Al Shuhada Islamic Movement
• Al Shabak Democratic Gathering
• Malhan Al Mkoter
• Islamic Da'awa Party - Iraq Organization
• Reform And Building Meeting
• Al Sadriah Advertising
• The Justice Community
• Iraq Ahrar

The Islamic Dawa Party (Arabic حزب الدعوة الإسلامية al-Dawa al-Islamiyya) is an Iraqi political organization. ... Islamic Virtue Party (Al-Fadhila Party) is an Iraqi political party. ... The Badr Organization originally the Badr Brigade is the armed wing of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq. ... The Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) is an Iraqi political party; its support comes from the countrys Shia Muslim community and from their fellow religionists in neighbouring Iran. ... The Hezbollah Movement in Iraq is an Iraqi political party that is part of the United Iraqi Alliance coalition. ...

External links

• Washington Post article about the United Iraqi Alliance
• Iraqi Shias unveil poll coalition