Iraq Elections: Ballots And Bombs

Today Iraqi voters are going to the polls despite deadly bomb attacks on polling stations which already killed at least 38  people and dozens were wounded. Most of the attacks took place in Baghdad. The 2010 elections are the second parliamentary elections since the toppling of Saddam Hussein following the US invasion in 2003.

Around 19 million eligible voters are choosing from more than 6,000 candidates competing for seats in the 325-member Parliament. Beside the bombings in Baghdad, targeting polling stations, other bomb, rockets and mortar attacks were reported by Iraqi authorities in Baquba, Fallujah and Samarra.

According from some foreign correspondents, Iraqis seem to be voting in fairly substantial numbers despite the violence.

“This has not deterred Iraqis from going out and exercising their democratic right to vote. Aside from the bombings, the elections look set to be free and fair, with several hundred Iraqis and international observers monitoring the vote. Despite allegations of vote-buying in the run-up to the vote, on the day itself I think voters are going to the polling stations without undue intimidation and I think the count is likely to be reasonably fair,” correspondent Rory Mulholland told Radio France International, in what appears to be an optimistic assessment judging from other journalists  reporting numerous claims of voting irregularities.

On Friday, Al-Qaeda in Iraq vowed to use “all kind of weapons of the Mujahedeen” against anyone casting their vote in the election.

No political block is expected to win a clear majority. Some political opponent of current Prime Minister Al-Maliki are already making claims of voting frauds. Iyad Allawi, a former Prime Minister, heading the cross-sectarian secularist Iraqiya list is already complaining about such irregularities. Hasan Salman, a representative of the Iraqi National Alliance (INA) also claims voting problems.

“The government is using its power to steer things to its interest. We are scared the result will be fraudulent. There are 19 million Iraqis qualified to vote, but there are 25 million voting slips, and we still have not received an answer why an extra 6 million voting slips were printed,” Hasan Salman told Al Jazeera.

The Iraqi electoral commission is scheduled to announce the preliminary results on March 10, based on ballots from 30 percent of the polling stations.

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