Iraq News Updates -- January 30, 2009

Image from AFP

A Momentous Vote In Iraq After Years Of War
-- Christian Science Monitor

Polls open throughout most of the country for a provincial election that could shift the balance of power.

Mosul, Iraq - In a country undergoing a grand reinvention, voters Saturday will choose not just who represents them in provincial governments but define the shape of Iraq in the tumultuous year ahead.

It's a national election full of firsts: The first held by a fully sovereign Iraq; the first in which Iraq's vital Sunni Arab minority is playing a large role; and the first in which Iraqis can vote for a flood of individual candidates – 14,467 of them vying for 440 seats – as well as parties.

"Those whom they elect – provincial council directors or governors – eventually are the ones who actually control the resources ... who can or cannot deliver water, electricity, sanitation, and provide employment," says United Nations special representative Stefan de Mistura in Baghdad.

Read more ....

More News On Iraq

Iraqi Elections Face Crucial Test in Violent Mosul -- New York Times
Iraqis Stake Hopes on Election -- Washington Post
Iraqis Prepare to Vote in Jan. 31 Provincial Elections -- AFPS
Iraq's Maliki makes inroads among last year's foes -- Reuters
'City of death' may be key to Iraq's future -- McClatchy Newspapers
Iraqi city of Mosul key electoral battlefield -- Yahoo News/AP
Poll battle for Iraqi city of Najaf -- BBC
Violence and intimidation mark run-up to Iraqi elections -- The Guardian
US Forces Step Back to Allow Iraqis to Oversee Election -- AFPS
Tight security before Iraq polls -- BBC
Violence returns to Iraqi election campaign -- Times Online
Three Sunni Candidates Slain Days Before Elections -- Washington Post
News Analysis: Provincial elections to reshape political landscape in Iraq -- China View
Iraqis Go to the Polls: What to Watch For -- Alertnet/Reuters
After Promising Quick Iraq Withdrawal, Obama Works Through Details -- VOA
Iraq encouraged by US reassurances, minister says -- AP
Transition Team Mentors Iraqi Soldiers to Success -- AFPS
US Looks for Blackwater Replacement in Iraq -- New York Times
Iraq's Next Test -- New York Post opinion

WNU Editor's Note: The above image from AFP is in error. The Sunni population percentage is 20% - 25%, and the Shiite population percentage is about 55%.