11.   It also scored heavily in eastern France, where conservatives held onto regional assemblies in both Alsace and Lorraine.

12.   Lighting a cigarette, Imai refused to commit himself, saying he would explain his position soon before the regional assembly.

13.   Meanwhile, elections to regional legislative assemblies invariably end up off-screen even though they are considerably richer in ideology and drama.

14.   Most European countries divide their power between a central government and regional assemblies, much as the United States has a federal government and individual state governments.

15.   Protestant leaders, like Trimble, want it to be weaker, controlled by a new regional legislative assembly that would have a Protestant majority.

16.   Regional assembly elections allow many splinter parties to win seats under a proportional representation system, unlike the two-stage voting system that chooses the national Parliament.

17.   The campaign to create an American-style city boss is part of a wider drive for constitutional reform that includes setting up regional assemblies in Scotland and Wales.

18.   The regional assemblies control spending for public secondary schools, local transportation networks and job training programs.

19.   The regional assembly even demanded, for the first time, a reduction in the Marine presence.

20.   The presence of an opposition bloc in the regional assembly should help empower moderates who want to live together with the Muslims and ethnic Croats, Western diplomats said.