Politics this week - Economist.com

Dr Ibrahim al-Jaafari, Iraq's interim vice-president, looked set to head a new government after the United Iraqi Alliance, the Islamist-inclined list that won last month's general election, named him as its sole candidate for the post.

The Socialists convincingly won Portugal's general election. José Sócrates, said to be a moderniser, will be the next prime minister

A “blogging” Iranian journalist, Arash Sigarchi, was sentenced to 14 years in prison by a revolutionary tribunal, after it found him guilty of insulting Iran's leaders and spying—meaning that, among other things, he had contributed to Radio Farda, which broadcasts from America.

Officials in Ottawa said that Canada would not take part in the United States' planned ballistic-missile defence system. However, this week the government announced the biggest increase in defence spending for two decades.

In Haiti, several hundred prisoners were reported to have escaped after an armed attack on the country's main prison. The interim prime minister rejected calls for his resignation.

Ecuador's interior minister resigned because of his disagreement with the government's appointment of a new Supreme Court.

Peru's Constitutional Tribunal ruled that Alberto Fujimori, the country's president from 1990 to 2000, cannot be a candidate in next year's election. Peru wants to extradite Mr Fujimori, who is living in Japan, on corruption charges.

At least 230 people were killed and hundreds more were reported missing in a series of avalanches in Indian-controlled Kashmir.