Skip to main content
BBC NEWS / MIDDLE EAST
Graphics VersionBBC Sport Home
News Front Page | Africa | Americas | Asia-Pacific | Europe | Middle East | South Asia | UK | Business | Health | Science & Environment | Technology | Entertainment | Also in the news | Have Your Say |
Saturday, 15 January, 2005, 16:08 GMT

Iraq unveils poll security plan

Voter contemplates poster explaining Iraqi election The Iraqi government has announced a security plan for the 30 January elections, admitting that voting will be limited in four restive provinces.

Measures include declaring a three-day holiday and excluding cars from areas near polling stations, government minister Wael Abdul Latif said.

Restrictions would also be imposed on vehicle movements, he said.

The provincial affairs minister said polls would be limited in areas where the insurgency was at its strongest.

However, he did not name the four provinces affected.

Electoral officials say no voter registration has yet taken place in the western Anbar province and in Iraq's third-largest city, Mosul.

The head of the country's independent electoral commission, Abdul Hussein Hendawi, said voters in those areas would be registered on polling day itself.

He said Anbar province would have "secure centres" for voting, but gave no further details.

Rings of security

The BBC's Jim Muir in Baghdad says Iraqi security officials have been working on the plan for several months, in consultation with the Americans and other international forces who will be providing back-up and rapid reaction teams to support the Iraqi police.

Our correspondent says the plan involves three rings of security, the tightest being around the 5,000 polling stations in schools and other public buildings around the country.

More than 100,000 police and other members of the security forces are expected to be deployed and will be given incentive bonuses, our correspondent says.

On Tuesday, Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi admitted for the first time that violence would prevent some parts of Iraq voting in this month's election.

"There are some pockets that will not participate in the election, but they are not large," he said.




E-mail this to a friend

RELATED INTERNET LINKS:
Iraqi electoral law
UN briefing on elections
Office of Migration plans for expatriate voting
International Organisation for Migration
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites



SEARCH BBC NEWS: 

News Front Page | Africa | Americas | Asia-Pacific | Europe | Middle East | South Asia | UK | Business | Health | Science & Environment | Technology | Entertainment | Also in the news | Have Your Say |

NewsWatch | Notes | Contact us | About BBC News | Profiles | History

^ Back to top | BBC Sport Home | BBC Homepage | Contact us | Help | ©