Iraqi voters prefer secular not religious parties – research center

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Manager of Al-Furat Center for Development and Strategic Studies on Monday said that a field survey conducted by the center showed that voters mistrust officials of Iraq’s federal government and provincial cabinets, as they could not solve people’s daily life problems, and that voters currently prefer secular rather than religious parties. “People, with a high portion, agree with carrying out elections as the only way to bring a positive change,” Ahmed Bahedh Taqee told IraqiNews.com. “The survey embraced seven provinces at the mid and south of Iraq: Baghdad, Diwaniya, Wassit, Karbalaa, Najaf, Babel, and Thi-Qae,” he said. “Around 100 persons, 18 – 50 years, from each of the seven provinces and of both genders were included in this survey,” he added. Taqee refused to mention the exact results of the survey. Al-Furat Center for Development and Strategic Studies was formed in 2004, is based in Karbalaa, and has branches in a number of Iraq’s provinces. MH (P)/SR 1