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Many citizens oppose such shows of force and are furious to see pictures of Ayatollah Khomenei, the late revolutionary Iranian leader, displayed in a police station.

“How can they revere someone who put this city under siege and bombed us?” asked one unemployed engineer, referring to attacks on Basra in the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s.

As one senior British Army officer said last week: “In Basra, Iran is seen as shorthand for anything bad. Every crime or explosion is blamed on an Iranian outsider. Yet one way or another so many people have Iran in their background. It’s going to be a big factor here.”

The British are unsure of the degree to which the Iranians are interfering in Iraqi politics, although they suspect that many agents of the Revolutionary Guards are active.

In an indication of how heated the campaigning may become, Hazem Shalaan, the Iraqi defence minister, claimed that the Sistani-backed list was composed of Iranian agents.

“They are fighting us because we want to build freedom and democracy and they want to build an Islamic dictatorship and have turbaned clerics rule in Iraq,” he said.

In Basra, Amer Al Fa’azi, a leading member of the Dawa Islamic Movement, said it was “obvious that many politicians were receiving cash from the Iranians. They have been supporting these people so they can control our future”.

Amer is planning to use western-style election techniques from posters and leaflets to election meetings, door-to-door canvassing and TV broadcasts.

However, he said that Iraq’s election would have its own unique flavour. As well as his party politiccal allegiance, he is also a leader of the 140,000- strong Beni Amer tribe. “Of course they will all vote for me because of my tribal relationship. It’s not like in Europe,” he said.

Muzahim al Tamimi, another tribal leader, has put together a list of independent candidates — including doctors, lawyers, teachers and engineers — to challenge the religious leaders and the established political parties. He is expecting intimidation by Islamic militias but believes that he can attract votes from those who are fed up with “the corruption and robbery of political leaders”.

Although many have warned of violence, Basra is relatively peaceful after a summer in which the army fought pitched battles with Shi’ite militants.

“The threat here has reduced because most of the political players in this city have become engaged in the political process,” said Brigadier Paul Gibson, commander of British forces in Basra and Amara. “Everyone is excited by this election and getting involved in planning their tactics.”

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