PARIS, June 17, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – Two days ahead of the second elections in the history of the French Council of Muslim Faith (CFCM), three main electoral slates are racing for the reign of the Muslim umbrella, with incumbent council president and rector of the Paris Grand Mosque Dalil Boubakeur widely expected to keep his post.

The polls, slated for Sunday, June 19, will see some 5232 Muslim voters, representing mosques in the country, cast ballot to elect the 65-member board of the French Muslim umbrella.

There are 1221 mosques eligible to vote in the CFCM elections, according to estimates obtained by IslamOnline.net.

Mosques in the French capital, estimated at 205, are the main battle ground for the competing slates, followed by northern France, which houses 161 mosques and the Marseille area, which has 130 mosques.

The CFCM was established in 2003 and groups a number of Muslim bodies.

Three main election slates, formed of alliances between Muslims of different origins, are running for Sunday’s polls.

First among these is the one comprising the Paris Grand Mosque and the Coordination Committee for Muslims of Turkish origin.

This alliance, which controls over 250 mosques nationwide, is running for the polls under the slogan “Unity for Fraternity.”

Runners on the alliance’s list pin high hopes on the “hidden” support they receive from the French authorities, which consider the list as representing what it terms “liberal” Islam.

Ties between the Paris Grand Mosque and Algeria as well as the support of the Turkish Waqfs and religious affairs ministry to the coordination committee for Muslims of Turkish origin are no secret, says IOL Correspondent.

The second slate running for the CFCM elections is an alliance between the Union of French Islamic Organizations (UOIF) and the Turkish Milli Gorus group.

The alliance raises the slogan of “coalition”.

In an attempt to secure a landslide victory in the CFCM polls, the UOIF has allied with many Muslim groups in the country.

As a case in point, the Union allied with some African groups dominating mosques of Muslims of African origin such as Mali Muslim association and the Mores island Muslims association.

The UOIF was established in 1983 by a group of Moroccan immigrants.

It is usually viewed by the French media as championing "radical" religious speech in the European secular country.

The third slate running for the Muslim umbrella polls is an alliance among Muslims of Moroccan origin.

Led by the National Union for French Muslims, the alliance is running for the polls under the slogan “fraternity”.

Hoping to win the Sunday’s polls, the National Union has mainly allied with Muslim groups and mosques dominated by the French Muslims of Moroccan origin.

Meanwhile, expectations are running high that Boubakeur will keep his post, no matter which of the three competing slates will win the polls, IOL learnt.

This is mainly attributed to the support he receives from the French authorities.

In the latest CFCM elections in April, 2003, the UOIF secured 16 seats in the 65-seat board, the Paris Grand Mosque won only two seats while National Union for French Muslims got 14 seats.