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24 Iraqis Killed On Iraq's Election Day

   Deadly  attacks  in  Baghdad as Iraqis go to the polls to choose a new
   parliament and leadership.

     07 March 2010
   Campaign  posters  line  a  concrete  blast  wall  in Baghdad ahead of
   Sunday's national elections, 06 Mar 2010

Photo: VOA - E. Arrott

   Campaign  posters  line  a  concrete  blast  wall  in Baghdad ahead of
   Sunday's national elections, 06 Mar 2010

   Violence  in Iraq's capital has killed at least 24 Iraqis at the start
   of voting in the country's first parliamentary elections since 2005.
   An  Iraqi Interior Ministry source says at least 12 people were killed
   and eight wounded when an explosion destroyed a building in Baghdad.
   An  earlier blast as polls opened killed four people and wounded eight
   more.  Eight people died in other blasts in the capital.
   Scores  of  mortar  shells  have  struck various locations in Baghdad,
   including  in  the "Green Zone" that houses parliament, as well as the
   U.S.  and British embassies.  Most attacks have originated from mainly
   Sunni districts.
   Despite  the  violence,  long lines were seen at many polling stations
   across much of the country.
   Iraqis  are voting in an election 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  19  million  eligible  voters  are  choosing  from  about  6,200
   candidates for the country's 325-seat parliament.
   Security  is  tight  throughout the country, with tens of thousands of
   Iraqi soldiers and police officers patrolling the streets.
   Along  with  the  deadly  attacks  Sunday  in  Baghdad, militants have
   targeted other polling locations in Iraq.
   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 and the airport closed.
   There  are no clear frontrunners in the elections.  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 cast their
   ballots in early voting.
   The  polling  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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