Another Iraqi province rejects Iraqi constitution

The volatile Sunni-dominated province of Al-Anbar in western Iraq has rejected the country's new post-Saddam Hussein constitution by 96.95 percent, according to election officials.

Under election rules, the result from Anbar means that the draft charter could be defeated if one more province musters a majority of two-thirds against it, even if an overall majority of votes nationwide are in favour.

Officials announced Saturday that the province of Salaheddin had rejected the constitution by 81.5 percent in the October 15 vote.

If three of Iraq's 18 provinces vote against the charter with a two-thirds majority, it will be rejected, new elections held and a new draft written.

The results of a final four provinces - Arbil, Babel, Basra and Nineveh - should be available on Tuesday or Wednesday, senior electoral official Abdul Hussein al-Hindawi said.

While the first three are expected to easily approve the constitution, Sunni-dominated Nineveh and its mixed, restive capital of Mosul looked set to decide the issue for the entire country, AFP reports.

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