Baghdad (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Political parties in Iraq begin their first official day of campaigning for national elections on Wednesday. On 30 January, voters will elect a 275-member assembly that will appoint a government and draft a constitution.
The electoral authorities say some 70 parties have registered to take part, including Sunni Muslim groups which had threatened to boycott the poll. Sunni groups, like the Iraqi Islamic Party, had argued that a successful poll would be impossible in the current conflict. They may still stick to their decision to boycott the election, but electoral officials say they have registered to participate.
The campaigning begins a day after Iraq's interim prime minister announced that leaders in Saddam Hussein's regime would go on trial for crimes against humanity and war crimes as early as next week. Iyad Allawi told the Interim National Council: "I can tell you clearly and precisely that, God willing, next week the trials of the symbols of the former regime will start, one by one so justice can take its course in Iraq."
Iraqi expatriates living in 14 countries will join in the 30 January elections. The countries where vote is allowed include Canada, Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, Holland, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Sweden, Turkey, UK, UAE, and USA. Half a million participants are expected to vote out of the 800,000 eligible voters of more than 3 million Iraqi expatriates.
Eight Christians political parties registered for January elections hope to be supported by the Iraqi expatriates. (LF)
