Basra takes small step toward autonomy

Iraq's election authority certified a minor victory on Monday for a movement that seeks to transform Basra province into a region with autonomy akin to Kurdistan.

The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) said that petitioners had collected 46,212 legitimate signatures of Basrawis supporting the formation of a region – more than 2 percent of the population of the province, and enough to move one step closer to a decisive referendum.