Iraqi expat voter registration to hit 25%; insurgents try to suppress domestic turnout News
Iraqi expat voter registration to hit 25%; insurgents try to suppress domestic turnout

[JURIST] Voter registration by Iraqi nationals in other countries will likely tally 25 percent of the estimated 1.2 million eligible when it closes Tuesday, according to officials organizing the foreign voting program. The Iraq Out-of-Country Voting Program [official website] allows Iraqi nationals living abroad to register and vote [program overview] in Sunday's elections in 14 designated countries, including the US, the UK, Germany and France. Registration was extended two days after initially low turnout for the program, which is being run by the International Organization of Migration [official website]. At the end of Sunday, about 237,704 had registered to vote in the elections for Iraq's interim national assembly. AFP has more. Meanwhile, in Iraq Tuesday, insurgent groups in Baghdad were distributing fliers that threatened potential voters and promised violence at polling stations on Sunday. Iraqi police clashed with those handing out the fliers, leaving 11 policemen dead. Militant groups have pledged to disrupt the first elections, and tensions have mounted as the country prepares to select a 275-seat assembly responsible for drafting a constitution. AP has more.