800 int’l observers monitor special voting in Baghdad

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Around 800 international observers started on Wednesday morning monitoring a number of electoral centers in Baghdad and other provinces during the special elections, a media source said. “The observers arrived in Baghdad on Tuesday (Jan. 27) and started their work today (Jan. 28),” the source told IraqiNews.com news agency. The special voting day allows Iraqi security forces, detainees and hospital patients to cast ballots in the provincial elections. The polls will be held in 14 of 18 provinces. A total of 614998 people are expected to vote in the special election Wednesday, Iraqi election officials said. On Saturday, millions of people are expected to go to the polls, with 14,000 candidates competing for 440 provincial council seats. SH (P) 1