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| Iraqis go to polls amid conflict, threats, floods | Iraqis go to polls amid conflict, threats, floods |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| RAMADI, Iraq — Iraqis voted Wednesday in the first elections since the withdrawal of U.S. troops , even as parts of the country remained engulfed in conflict, others drowned under floods, and the specter of terrorists’ bomb threats loomed over polling stations. | RAMADI, Iraq — Iraqis voted Wednesday in the first elections since the withdrawal of U.S. troops , even as parts of the country remained engulfed in conflict, others drowned under floods, and the specter of terrorists’ bomb threats loomed over polling stations. |
| The parliamentary elections come amid a hemorrhaging security situation as a Sunni insurgency against the Shiite-led government in the western province of Anbar pushed closer to the capital Baghdad. | |
| Cars were banned from the streets across the country to deter violence as voting began at 7 a.m. In Anbar’s provincial capital of Ramadi, intermittent explosions could be heard as the polls opened. | Cars were banned from the streets across the country to deter violence as voting began at 7 a.m. In Anbar’s provincial capital of Ramadi, intermittent explosions could be heard as the polls opened. |
| The incumbent Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is seeking a third term in office, after successfully securing the premiership during Iraq’s two previous elections. Maliki is a front-runner, but no party is expected to secure a majority, meaning the winner will have to secure a coalition in order to form a government. | The incumbent Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is seeking a third term in office, after successfully securing the premiership during Iraq’s two previous elections. Maliki is a front-runner, but no party is expected to secure a majority, meaning the winner will have to secure a coalition in order to form a government. |
| Maliki’s flailing popularity may have been bolstered by his offensive in Anbar, rallying Shiite support behind him as the army fights hostile Sunni tribesmen and terrorists from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, an al-Qaeda inspired group, who have exerted control over parts of the province. | Maliki’s flailing popularity may have been bolstered by his offensive in Anbar, rallying Shiite support behind him as the army fights hostile Sunni tribesmen and terrorists from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, an al-Qaeda inspired group, who have exerted control over parts of the province. |
| The violence is expected to prevent many from casting their votes -- with more than 400,000 displaced in Anbar this year, according to the United Nations. ISIS has threatened politicians, and rights groups have raised concerns about the potential for vote rigging in the province amid the chaos. | The violence is expected to prevent many from casting their votes -- with more than 400,000 displaced in Anbar this year, according to the United Nations. ISIS has threatened politicians, and rights groups have raised concerns about the potential for vote rigging in the province amid the chaos. |
| Adding to the sense of uncertainty, thousands have been displaced by flooding, which has washed away entire villages and submerged Abu Ghraib after a dam was attacked. | Adding to the sense of uncertainty, thousands have been displaced by flooding, which has washed away entire villages and submerged Abu Ghraib after a dam was attacked. |
| In Anbar, it’s not just the violence that is expected to keep people from the polls — but deep dissatisfaction with a political process from which they feel alienated. | In Anbar, it’s not just the violence that is expected to keep people from the polls — but deep dissatisfaction with a political process from which they feel alienated. |
| Residents complain of being cut off from their political representatives, who they say seldom visit the province. | Residents complain of being cut off from their political representatives, who they say seldom visit the province. |
| “The old politicians didn’t represent anyone, but we hope the new ones will,” said Ramadi-based Tariq al-Assal, a former police general who is running for parliament for the first time. “But we are afraid of falsification of the voting.” | “The old politicians didn’t represent anyone, but we hope the new ones will,” said Ramadi-based Tariq al-Assal, a former police general who is running for parliament for the first time. “But we are afraid of falsification of the voting.” |
| Even Iraq’s acting defense minister, Saadoun al-Dulaimi, who is defending his seat in Ramadi, has a bleak view of the democratic process. | Even Iraq’s acting defense minister, Saadoun al-Dulaimi, who is defending his seat in Ramadi, has a bleak view of the democratic process. |
| “It is very difficult for any society to establish a good democracy when it is surrounded by chaos and by premature institutions,” he said. “We need to clean our country from the terrorists first, and after that the opportunity is there for us to build a nation according to a solid basis.” | “It is very difficult for any society to establish a good democracy when it is surrounded by chaos and by premature institutions,” he said. “We need to clean our country from the terrorists first, and after that the opportunity is there for us to build a nation according to a solid basis.” |