Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
BAGHDAD, Dec 14 (AFP) - Iraq's electoral commission has finalised the facts
and figures for Thursday's historic general election in which 7,655
candidates are competing for 275 seats in parliament.
The candidates, standing in the 18 provincial electoral districts of Iraq,
represent 307 political entities -- political parties or independent
candidates -- and are grouped together in 19 coalition lists.
The finalised figures were released late by the independent electoral
commission, following complaints from the Iraqi committee responsible for
purging the state apparatus of Saddam Hussein loyalists.
Electoral law bans those linked to the disbanded Baath party from standing
for parliament and some names were removed from candidate lists.
The largest number of candidates are standing in Baghdad, where 2,161 people
are competing for 59 parliamentary seats.
More than 120,000 independent observers have been accredited to monitor the
elections, including more than 800 foreigners. Political entities have also
accredited 230,000 of their own observers.
When the ballot boxes open at 7:00 am (0400 GMT), 15.5 million Iraqis will
be eligible to vote at more than 33,000 polling stations nationwide.
Hospital patients, prison detainees and security officers voted on Monday.
Iraq's expatriate community began a three-day voting process on Tuesday, set
to finish on Thursday.
and figures for Thursday's historic general election in which 7,655
candidates are competing for 275 seats in parliament.
The candidates, standing in the 18 provincial electoral districts of Iraq,
represent 307 political entities -- political parties or independent
candidates -- and are grouped together in 19 coalition lists.
The finalised figures were released late by the independent electoral
commission, following complaints from the Iraqi committee responsible for
purging the state apparatus of Saddam Hussein loyalists.
Electoral law bans those linked to the disbanded Baath party from standing
for parliament and some names were removed from candidate lists.
The largest number of candidates are standing in Baghdad, where 2,161 people
are competing for 59 parliamentary seats.
More than 120,000 independent observers have been accredited to monitor the
elections, including more than 800 foreigners. Political entities have also
accredited 230,000 of their own observers.
When the ballot boxes open at 7:00 am (0400 GMT), 15.5 million Iraqis will
be eligible to vote at more than 33,000 polling stations nationwide.
Hospital patients, prison detainees and security officers voted on Monday.
Iraq's expatriate community began a three-day voting process on Tuesday, set
to finish on Thursday.