Violence erupted as Iraqis headed to the polls Sunday, with insurgents bombing a polling station and throwing grenades at voters in an effort to intimidate those participating in the country's election. After the polls closed, the death count stood at 36.
Iraqis hope the election will establish a path to national reconciliation and allow the country to overcome the sectarian divisions that have dogged the nation since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. The U.S. plans to remove combat forces by late summer and all troops by the end of 2011.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is battling to return to power. He faces challenges from a coalition of mainly Shiite groups on one side and a secular alliance of Shiites and Sunnis on the other.
Speaking to CTV News Channel from a polling station in central Baghdad, ABC's Miguel Marquez said Sunday the attacks appeared to be "not very successful" at deterring voters.
In Azamiyah, a predominantly Sunni neighbourhood in northern Baghdad, Walid Abid, a 40-year-old father of two, spoke to The Associated Press as mortars landed several hundred metres away.
"I am not scared and I am not going to stay put at home," Abid said. "Until when? We need to change things. If I stay at home and not come to vote, Azamiyah will get worse."
Police reported at least 20 mortar attacks in the neighbourhood after daybreak. Mortars were also launched at the Green Zone, the area of closed off streets in central Baghdad that is home to the U.S. Embassy and the prime minister's office.
Speaking with reporters after casting his ballot Sunday morning, al-Maliki said the violence would not interfere with the election results.
"These acts will not undermine the will of the Iraqi people," he said.
Insurgents had vowed to disrupt the elections, which they see as a validation of the Shiite-led government and the American military presence.
In a posting early Sunday on an Islamic Web site, the al Qaeda front group Islamic State in Iraq warned that anyone who took part in the election would be exposing themselves to "God's wrath and to the mujahideen's weapons." The group argues the voting process strengthens Iraq's Shiite majority.
U.S. President Barack Obama on Sunday praised Iraqis who made their way to polling stations despite the threat of violence.
He said the country had passed an "important milestone" thanks to the millions who turned out to vote.
"Today's voting makes it clear that the future of Iraq belongs to the people of Iraq," the president said.
Cluster of attacks hits Baghdad
In northeastern Baghdad, at least 19 people were killed when explosions leveled two buildings about two kilometres apart. Rescue workers searched the rubble for survivors.
Attacks elsewhere in the city also proved fatal. An attack in the northeastern neighbourhood of Hurriyah claimed three lives, and seven people were killed by mortar attacks in two western Baghdad neighbourhoods. One person died in northern Baghdad as a result of the violence.
In Mahmoudiya, a city 30 kilometres south of Baghdad, a policeman was killed when a bomb went off inside a polling station, authorities said.
In Mosul, a gunman wounded six voters when he threw a grenade into a polling centre, while in Fallujah, mortar rounds were fired around the city, but there were no casualties reported.
There were reports of other explosions in the county, but no reported fatalities.
A major with the U.S. army said troops were told of 44 significant attacks in the Iraqi capital, but most were small.
"These are intimidation tactics, and we are hearing that the focus is on mostly Sunni areas to keep Sunnis from voting and to exacerbate the Sunni-Shiite divide," Maj. William Voorhies said.
There are about 6,200 candidates competing for 325 seats in the new parliament. It will be Iraq's second full-term legislature since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
The final tally of the votes is expected to take about 10 days.
"In the next three days, we will see the first official preliminary result based on the first 30 per cent of the votes," Marquez said. Full votes are expected about a week later, and the formation of the government is expected to take months, he said.
With files from The Associated Press
