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Iraqis begin voting in parliamentary election

BAGHDAD: Iraqis began voting on Monday in their second parliamentary election since the 1991 Gulf War.

Officials said about 8.5 million Iraqis were eligible to choose 220 members of parliament from 522 candidates in voting at 1,572 polling stations in Baghdad and 14 provinces.

Some 142 members of the ruling Baath party were standing for election and most of the remaining candidates were independents. Iraqi officials said one candidate from the Iraqi Communist party was also standing.

Candidates include President Saddam Hussein's eldest son Uday, who runs the country's most influential newspaper Babel and is standing for parliament for the first time. Twenty-five women are also running.

Polling booths opened at 8 a.m (0500 GMT) and were due to close at 8 p.m. The results were expected either later on Monday or Tuesday.

No voting is taking place in the three northern provinces of Dahouk, Sulaimaniya and Arbil, which are under Kurdish rebel control.

It was not clear whether Iraqis would turn out in force to elect parliament in a country ruled by a single party and hit hard by decade-old economic sanctions and repeated military confrontation with the United States.

But eye witnesses said people were queueing to vote in several polling stations in the capital Baghdad.

"I am here to elect those who will defend us and look after us, particularly at a time when we are suffering from hardship from the embargo," said Saleh Nadah Bargan, a school teacher from the al-Amel district in Baghdad.

"I am very happy to be here to choose my representatives at the National Assembly, whom I expect to defend our rights," Riyadh Ali Hadi said.

In the last parliamentary election, in March 1996, all 160 candidates of the Baath party won seats along with 60 independents.

President Saddam Hussein was elected to another seven-year term in October 1995. -Reuters