Iraqis prepare for first vote since US withdrawal
Source: AP
BY SAMEER N. YACOUB AND ADAM SCHRECK
BAGHDAD (AP) — Even the dead are not spared the campaigning for Iraq’s upcoming local elections.
Brightly colored placards blanket major streets and hang around the vast cemetery in the Shiite holy city of Najaf, appealing to the hundreds of mourners who stream through each day.
The April 20 vote for provincial governing councils will be the first election since the U.S. military withdrawal in December 2011. Even though elections for federal positions such as prime minister and parliament are not scheduled until next year, this will nevertheless be a key test for Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s dominant political bloc.
Members of the police and army cast their ballots early in special voting on Saturday.
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Read more: http://www.salon.com/2013/04/13/iraqis_prepare_for_first_vote_since_us_withdrawal/
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