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The change of the municipal government in the oil-rich Iraqi city of Basra, some 490 km (305 miles) from Baghdad, raises a number questions regarding the policy that the new government will adopt in dealing with the many foreign oil companies operating in the area on service licenses from the central government in Baghdad.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's coalition failed to retain the governorship of Basra province — considered the highest local authority, according to the Iraqi constitution — after winning it in the last round of elections. Instead, the coalition was forced to make do with heading the municipal council.
