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An Iraqi traffic policeman casts his vote at a polling center in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, April 28, 2014. Amid tight security, some one million Iraqi army and police personnel have started voting for the nation's new parliament. (Khalid Mohammed/AP)

Associated Press

Published: April 28, 2014

BAGHDAD Iraqi army and police personnel began voting for a new parliament on Monday, two days before the rest of the nation's 22 million registered voters can go to the polls in the first nationwide elections since the 2011 withdrawal of U.S. forces.

The early balloting is meant to free up the 1 million-strong military and security forces for election day on Wednesday, so they can protect polling stations and voters.

More than 9,000 candidates are vying for 328 seats in parliament, which is widely expected to be won by an alliance led by Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who is expected to seek a third four-year term in office.

Security was tight amid concerns that Sunni militants blamed for a recent resurgence of sectarian violence could target polling stations.

At one central Baghdad polling station, policemen went through four ID checks and search stations before they could enter the building on Monday. Inside, police dogs were used to search for explosives. Some policemen came to cast votes dressed in civilian clothes, to attract less attention.

"These are crucial elections that we hope will make things better in Iraq," said one voter, policeman Hatef Yidam. "We want peace and a life with dignity."

Hospital patients, medical staff and detainees were also voting on Monday. Abroad, Iraqi expatriates in more than 20 countries will also be able to cast ballots for a second day.

Read more from the original source:
Iraq's army, police force vote for new parliament

AFP Iraq attacks kill 20 as security forces cast ballots

Baghdad (AFP) - Deadly attacks on Monday, including a spate of suicide bombings, killed 20 soldiers and policemen as they cast their ballots ahead of Iraq's first election since US troops withdrew.

The bombings in Baghdad and north and west Iraq raise serious concerns about the ability of the country's security forces to protect voters during Wednesday's general election, when more than 20 million Iraqis are eligible to vote.

They come amid a protracted surge in violence and fears the country is edging towards all-out conflict.

Attackers wearing suicide belts hit polling centres in Baghdad and cities north of the capital, while roadside bombs struck military convoys and targeted journalists covering the polling.

At a voting centre in western Baghdad where six security members were killed, ambulances rushed to and fro, collecting the wounded, as soldiers cordoned off the street and ushered passersby away, an AFP journalist said.

Attacks elsewhere left 14 dead overall -- all members of the security forces -- officials said.

In the main northern city of Mosul, meanwhile, six journalists were wounded as a bomb went off while they were travelling in a military vehicle to cover police and troops voting.

The blasts shattered an early morning calm, when soldiers and policemen had queued outside voting centres amid tight security across Baghdad and around the country as polls opened, leaving with the traditional purple ink-stained finger indicating they had voted.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, lambasted by critics for allegedly consolidating power and targeting minority groups amid a deterioration of security, is bidding for a third term in the polls with Iraqis frustrated over poor basic services, rampant corruption and high unemployment.

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Iraq attacks kill 20 as security forces cast ballots

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