Iraqi electoral officials announced today that a new constitution had been approved by voters, enshrining a legal foundation for the future governance of the country and paving the way for elections for a full-term government in December.

A majority of voters approved the constitution in the nationwide referendum held on Oct. 15, the officials said. But the vote was sharply divided along ethnic and sectarian lines. The biggest support came from Shiites and Kurds, who make up about 80 percent of the population, while Sunni Arabs largely rejected the document.

The constitution was widely expected to pass, but there was speculation until the very last minute that it may have been defeated by a three-province rejection. Under the electoral law, if two-thirds of voters in three provinces had turned down the constitution, the document would not have passed.

Officials said on Monday that two Sunni-dominated provinces had rejected the document; the results for a third province with a Sunni majority, Ninevah, were not released until today.

Much work remains to be done on the constitution. Major issues such as the allocation of natural resources and oil revenues still have to be worked out, as well as the exact language that will determine how an autonomous region is created. One Western diplomat said he had counted 55 places in the constitution that put off resolution of an issue for the future Parliament.