Representatives of Iraq's senior Shia cleric said yesterday they had finalised an electoral slate thought to include the country's main Shia parties as well as former anti-government insurgents.

Although the list has been in formation for more than a month, the announcement quells speculation that Iraq's most ambitious electoral alliance might break down over inter-party disputes as to how many seats each received. It also reduces concerns that Moqtada al-Sadr, the mercurial former rebel, might change his decision to participate in the elections on January.