OMEN
01-31-2009, 12:23 PM
Voting is under way in Iraq's first major election since 2005, with millions expected to cast ballots in provincial polls.
The Sunni minority is expected to turn out in strength after they largely boycotted the last ballot which resulted in Shia and Kurdish parties taking control of parliament.
Security forces have imposed traffic bans for Baghdad and other major cities and Iraq's borders with Iran and Syria have been sealed as part of stepped up security measures.
About 15m eligible Iraqis have been called to cast ballots in 14 of 18 provinces at thousands of voting centres that opened at 7am (4am Irish time) and will close at 5pm (2pm Irish time).
In the Sunni Arab city of Tikrit, the hometown of executed dictator Saddam Hussein, four so-called flash bombs exploded near several polling centres. Police said the bombs had missed their mark and there were no casualties.
Although security has much improved in Iraq in recent months, Al-Qaeda and insurgents continue to mount attacks on citizens and security forces, especially in the mainly Sunni Arab areas of Diyala province and the northern city of Mosul.
The vote will not include the three autonomous Kurdish provinces, Arbil, Dohuk and Sulaimaniyah, all in the north.
Elections have been postponed in the oil-rich Kirkuk province, which the Kurds want to incorporate despite fierce opposition by the central government.
RTE
The Sunni minority is expected to turn out in strength after they largely boycotted the last ballot which resulted in Shia and Kurdish parties taking control of parliament.
Security forces have imposed traffic bans for Baghdad and other major cities and Iraq's borders with Iran and Syria have been sealed as part of stepped up security measures.
About 15m eligible Iraqis have been called to cast ballots in 14 of 18 provinces at thousands of voting centres that opened at 7am (4am Irish time) and will close at 5pm (2pm Irish time).
In the Sunni Arab city of Tikrit, the hometown of executed dictator Saddam Hussein, four so-called flash bombs exploded near several polling centres. Police said the bombs had missed their mark and there were no casualties.
Although security has much improved in Iraq in recent months, Al-Qaeda and insurgents continue to mount attacks on citizens and security forces, especially in the mainly Sunni Arab areas of Diyala province and the northern city of Mosul.
The vote will not include the three autonomous Kurdish provinces, Arbil, Dohuk and Sulaimaniyah, all in the north.
Elections have been postponed in the oil-rich Kirkuk province, which the Kurds want to incorporate despite fierce opposition by the central government.
RTE