Iraq’s election adds to sectarian divide (Los Angeles Times)
Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki is relying on his Shiite Muslim religious identity to gain an edge over Iyad Allawi, a secular Shiite whose loss would be a huge setback to Sunni Arab voters. With more than 80% of the votes tallied in Iraq’s parliamentary elections and the race still neck and neck, hopes that the country might move beyond its deep Shiite-Sunni divide appear to be fading in a …
Iraq PM back in the lead in vote count (AP via Yahoo! News)
The Iraqi prime minister’s coalition has retaken the lead from his secular challenger in a preliminary tally of votes in Iraq’s parliamentary elections, the country’s election commission said Wednesday.
Iraqi PM, opposition head in tight election battle (The Jamaica Observer)
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFP) — Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and his main rival Iyad Allawi were locked in a tight election battle yesterday, with updated results showing their blocs neck-and-neck in the race for parliament.
03/18/2010 15:32 IRAQ Nineveh governor wants international probe into attacks against Mosul Christians and minorities (AsiaNews.it)
by Layla Yousif Rahema The governor blames Kurdish militias and parties, calls for UN-EU investigation. Kurdish sources tell AsiaNews that al-Qaeda and inefficient law enforcement are to blame.
Kirkuk focus of Iraq election law deadlock (MSNBC)
Iraqi politicians are dueling with new hostility over the fate of Kirkuk, the oil-rich city that both self-ruled Kurds in the north and Iraq’s central government want to control. Iraq – Kirkuk – Kurdish people – Middle East – Baghdad
Iraq rivals face coalition wrangles (Independent)
The formation of a new coalition government in Iraq will be difficult as rival political groups have all done well enough in the election to demand a share in power.
More Sunnis vote in Iraq as violence decreases: U.S. expert (People’s Daily)
by Ran Wei Sunni participation are high in Iraq’s recent parliamentary election as violence has decreased, said a U.S. expert on Middle East affairs on Tuesday. “The most striking difference is the much higher participation by Sunni voters,” Marina Ottaway, the Director of Middle East Program at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said during an interview with Xinhua. The Independent …
Iraqi liberal warns of a fixed election (New York Post)
In a phone interview from Baghdad yester day, an Iraqi member of parliament said he believes he and other liberals are being shortchanged votes by an Iraqi Electoral Commission that has been corrupted by Iran. “The citizens of Iraq went to vote in the election; they have done their job…
Iraqi soldier, policeman beheaded, gunmen shoot two in Mosul – Summary (EARTHtimes.org)
Baghdad – Armed men stopped two off-duty Iraqi security officers north of Baghdad, abducted them, and beheaded them, police told the German Press Agency dpa on Thursday. The two were among at least five people killed in fresh violence across Iraq Thu…
Al-Maliki coalition retakes lead in Iraq vote (Pioneer Press)
BAGHDAD The Iraqi prime minister’s coalition has retaken the lead from his secular challenger in a preliminary tally of votes in Iraq’s parliamentary elections, the country’s election commission said Wednesday. Partial results based on 83 percent of the ballots from the March 7 voting gave Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s group an edge over his rival in what has been a very tight race. Al …
Is The Hurt Locker a harbringer of Iraq war movies to come? (National Post)
Sometime in the last 18 months, the war in Iraq finally turned a corner. I m not talking about troop surges or counter-insurgency, mind you. It s the fact that the conflict has finally started to produce some decent movies
Iraqi election results pointing up the country’s deep divides (Washington Post)
BAGHDAD — The emerging results from last week’s parliamentary elections have made clear that Iraq remains a dangerously polarized nation, with deep regional and sectarian schisms that could widen as the U.S. military draws down.
Iraq election: Will Prime Minister Maliki lose his job? (The Christian Science Monitor)
With 80 percent of the Iraq election votes counted, Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki is neck and neck with former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi. Even if Maliki wins the popular vote, he may not be able to hold together a coalition government.
