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Iraqis vote as violence grips a divided country

30 April 2014 23:40 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Iraq held a democratic vote to choose a leader with no foreign troops present for the first time ever on Wednesday, as Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki sought to hold power for a third term in a country again consumed by sectarian bloodshed, APA reports quoting Reuters.

Since the last American soldiers pulled out in 2011 eight years after toppling dictator Saddam Hussein, Iraq has descended back into extreme violence, with hundreds of civilians killed each month by al Qaeda-inspired Sunni insurgents, and Shi'ite militia once more taking fearsome revenge.

Voters are choosing from nearly 10,000 candidates for 328 seats in parliament, from political parties that range from zealous Islamists to liberals and communists.

But even more than in the last election four years ago, parties with sectarian and ethnic agendas are expected to lead the field, potentially exacerbating the divisions that underlie the worsening carnage.

Baghdad, a city still carved up with some fortress-like neighborhoods surrounded by razor wire and giant concrete barriers, is now festooned with political posters of men in suits, traditional robes, clerical garb or military fatigues, and women in glamorous makeup or modest Islamic dress.

But despite the myriad parties, the election is widely seen as a referendum on Maliki, a Shi'ite Muslim who has governed for eight years. He says he is the only politician with enough strength to battle insurgents; his opponents say his bullying of his political enemies has brought Iraq to the verge of collapse.

The past year has seen violence return to levels unseen since the darkest days of the U.S. military "surge" under President George W. Bush. Government forces are fighting Sunni militants across western Anbar province, northern Iraq and in the countryside surrounding Baghdad. Shi'ite militia, once kept in check by Maliki and the Americans, have resurfaced to join the battle.