Iraqis in two Sunni-majority provinces are voting Thursday in provincial
elections that officials delayed by two months because of security
concerns.
Tight security, including bans on vehicular traffic, is in place in Anbar province in western Iraq and Ninewah province in the country's south.
Some 2.8 million people are eligible to vote in the polls to fill 69 provincial council seats. Voters in 12 other Iraqi provinces cast their ballots in April.
Anbar and Ninewah have been the sites of protests against Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Shi'ite-led government. Some Iraqis questioned the reasoning for the election delay, seeing the postponement as a political ploy.
The provincial elections are widely viewed as a measure of the strength of political parties ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for next year.
Tight security, including bans on vehicular traffic, is in place in Anbar province in western Iraq and Ninewah province in the country's south.
Some 2.8 million people are eligible to vote in the polls to fill 69 provincial council seats. Voters in 12 other Iraqi provinces cast their ballots in April.
Anbar and Ninewah have been the sites of protests against Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Shi'ite-led government. Some Iraqis questioned the reasoning for the election delay, seeing the postponement as a political ploy.
The provincial elections are widely viewed as a measure of the strength of political parties ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for next year.
Sources :
http://www.voanews.com/content/iraqi-voters-cast-ballots-in-delayed-elections/1685515.html
No comments:
Post a Comment