Range of problems seen at Baqouba polls

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Range of problems seen at Baqouba polls
By Heath Druzin, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Sunday, February 1, 2009

BAQOUBA, Iraq — Election day was peaceful in this restive Sunni stronghold, but early indications showed low voter turnout, and some residents complained of long walks to the polls.

With Iraqi army and police guarding polling stations and U.S. forces staying on the fringe as a "third ring" of security, no violence had been reported as of 5:30 p.m., with just a half-hour remaining before polls closed, according to military officials.

"There’s been no sign of intimidation," said a U.S. State Department election observer, who declined to be named, citing State Department media rules.

Toward the end of the voting period, turnout in some Sunni neighborhoods was running well under 50 percent, with some polling in the 30s and only a trickle of voters still showing up. Diyala province has been closely watched by analysts because much of its large Sunni population boycotted the last elections, giving them little representation in the current government.

Voters were searched before going in polling stations, and booths were set up to give women privacy while they were searched. Security forces were especially concerned about reports of plans for a wave of female suicide bombers, a tactic used frequently in Baqouba.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=60391