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Iraqis Vote in Crucial Election

   Several mortar shells land near voting stations as polls open.

     06 March 2010

   Polling  stations are open across Iraq in a parliamentary vote seen as
   a key test of Iraq's ability to maintain security and conduct a smooth
   transition of power after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.
   Some  20  million  eligible  voters  are choosing from more than 6,000
   candidates for the country's 325-seat parliament.
   Polling stations will remain open until 5 p.m. local time Sunday.
   Security  is  tight  throughout the country, with tens of thousands of
   Iraqi  soldiers  and police officers patrolling the streets to prevent
   possible attacks.
   Police  say  several  mortar  rounds  were  fired at voting centers in
   Baghdad  as  polls  opened.   There  are no initial reports of serious
   injuries.
   On  Saturday,  a  car  bomb ripped through two tour buses in the Iraqi
   city of Najaf, killing four people and wounding more than 50 others.
   An  al-Qaida-affiliated  group,  the Islamic State of Iraq, has warned
   that anyone who decides to vote will risk death.
   Security  was  stepped  up  in  Iraqi  cities,  as  well  as along the
   country's  borders with Iran and Syria ahead of Sunday's parliamentary
   vote.

   The  borders  have been sealed, the airport closed and vehicles banned
   across the capital.
   The  second-ranking  U.S. military officer in Iraq, Lieutenant-General
   Charles  Jacoby,  told  reporters Saturday that Iraqis have shown they
   have the capacity to run a safe, legitimate election on their own.
   There are no clear frontrunners.  Many voters likely will choose among
   the three major Shi'ite-led coalitions.
   Iraqi  Prime  Minister  Nouri  al-Maliki's  State of Law Coalition and
   former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's Iraqiya bloc have both reached out
   to Sunnis and other minority groups.
   A  third  Shi'ite  coalition,  the  Iraqi  National Alliance, has been
   playing  up its sectarian profile and has strong ties to Iran.  It has
   been  getting  support  from followers of anti-American cleric Moqtada
   al-Sadr.
   On  Saturday, Sadr encouraged Iraqis to take part in the vote and give
   their support to those who can best serve the nation.
   Millions  of  Iraqis living overseas in 14 countries, as well as Iraqi
   soldiers,  police, medical staff, patients and prisoners, have already
   cast their ballots in early voting.
   The  poll  is only the second parliamentary election in Iraq since the
   U.S.-led  invasion  that  ousted  Saddam Hussein in 2003.  It is being
   monitored   by  the  United  Nations,  the  Arab  League  and  various
   international groups, as well as some 200,000 Iraqis.
   Unlike  the  previous  national  election  in  2005  when Iraqi Sunnis
   boycotted the polls, many of them say they plan to participate.

   Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters. 

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