Shiites split over prime minister

Top Shiite politicians in Iraq have failed to reach a consensus on their nominee for prime minister, shifting the two-man race to a secret ballot and exposing divisions in the winning alliance.

After hours of closed-door meetings yesterday, members of the United Iraqi Alliance agreed to hold a secret ballot to choose between Ibrahim al-Jaafari and Ahmad Chalabi, most likely tomorrow, said Ali Hashim al-Youshaa, one of the alliance’s leaders.