It clearly had to be given to the religious coalitions, but what it gave them wasn't strong.

In one story, the I.S.I. was buying the nine votes needed to topple the religious coalition in the provincial assembly.

Their customers included the military, the police, doctors, ministers and even members of the religious coalition, whose secretaries often made the purchases, they said.

Administration officials and members of Congress say the religious coalition has had an unusual influence on one of the most religious White Houses in American history.

Jubilee 2000, a religious coalition, has called for stepping up the effort and for total forgiveness of debt owed by the world's 40 poorest nations.

In the final harried days of campaigning, rivalries within the dominant Shiite conservative religious coalition could cause it to fracture, perhaps helping secular Shiite candidates.

The second group was an interfaith, religious coalition which hoped to revitalize religion for today's needs.

The victims were working for the United Iraqi Alliance, the religious Shiite coalition that consists of the ruling parties in the current government.

A Shiite religious coalition won 48 percent of the vote and is expected to receive a slim majority in the assembly.

Protesters said that the elections were rigged in favor of the main religious Shiite coalition.