[JURIST] The Canadian-based International Mission for Iraqi Elections [official website], a multinational group of election experts set up in December to monitor the January 30 vote and make recommendations for improvements in the Iraqi electoral process, issued a preliminary report from its offices in Amman, Jordan, on Sunday praising the poll but stressing a need for greater transparency in campaign financing and expenditures, improvements in voter registration, and a review of campiagn eligibility standards. Assessing the legal framework for the election, the report noted:

The absence of deadlines for resolutions on claims and complaints by the electoral authorities, notification to political entities and candidates of decisions on certification, announcement of preliminary electoral results and publication of official results is a matter that the IMIE will wish to discuss with the IECI [Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq], as is the question of regulating political financing and transparency in this respect.

5:40 PM ET – The latest post-election Iraqi weblog reports include pictures from the voting stations [weblog post], and commentary by an Iraqi expatriate who voted in Jordan. Meanwhile, vote counting in Iraq is reported to have started by candlelight at a number of locations due to power cuts and shortages. Reuters has more.