Baghdad, Iraq ? Under the guidance of Iraq’s most powerful Shiite cleric, Shiite parties presented a list Thursday of 228 candidates for next month’s elections. Minority Sunni Arabs, who had been favored under Saddam Hussein, must now decide whether to join the race or renounce a vote that will help determine the country’s future.

The announcement of the list of 23 parties, dubbed the United Iraqi Alliance, followed weeks of haggling. Members of participating groups said the coalition’s platform would include a call for working toward the withdrawal of U.S. and other foreign troops in Iraq.

“There must be a timetable for this,” said Hussein al-Mousawi, an official of the Shiite Political Council, an umbrella group that has some parties represented in the alliance. The candidates list includes two powerful Shiite parties, as well as an array of independent Sunni tribal figures, Shiite Kurdish groups and members of smaller movements.

Importantly, the roster does not include the movement of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who appeared to be waiting to see whether the vote Jan. 30 would be considered legitimate before he joined the political process.

There already were signs that Sunni ranks were breaking: One group that had called for a delay, the Iraqi Islamic Party, quietly submitted a 275-candidate list Thursday. Party officials said they wanted to reserve the right to take part in the vote if the election is not postponed.