Militants issue death threats against Iraq election commission February 7, 2013 - 19:35 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Militants have issued death threats against employees of Iraq's election commission, raising concerns about security ahead of the upcoming provincial balloting, officials said, according to Belfast Telegraph. The April 20 vote is the first nationwide ballot since 2010 and an important test for embattled prime minister Nouri al-Maliki. Muqdad al-Shuraifi, a member of the election commission, said commission employees in the predominantly Sunni provinces of Salahuddin and Ninevah have received death threats from militants. He would not provide any further details. Mr Al-Shuraifi said the weekly anti-government demonstrations by the Sunni minority could make it more difficult to ensure security and a "fair election" in western and northern Iraq. He says 131 of 8,224 candidates for 18 provincial councils have been disqualified for alleged ties to Saddam Hussein now-disbanded Baath party. Partner news  Top stories U.S. officials say they want to advance efforts to start talks between the Syrian government and opposition leaders. The international conference, backed by Russia and the U.S., aims to find a political solution to the conflict in Syria. Nuland, a career foreign service officer who was until recently State's top spokesperson, was expected to be nominated the post. Alkhatib said Assad should respond within 20 days and that he should then be given a month to dissolve parliament.   Partner news |  Latest news Israeli security expert says Syrian hacker attack foiled  Israel refuses to comment on the strike but officials at the time said Iranian missiles set for Hezbollah were hit.Gyumri to host Europe Day celebrations The celebrations will feature a small information fair, with EU project representatives to brief the visitors on the initiatives launched.1st Armenian interactive fairy tale available for iPhone/iPod Touch The tale sparked great interest in Diaspora. Such projects, namely interactive version of “Alice in Wonderland”, are popular abroad.Expert says Russian FM’s remarks in context of Madrid Principles No decisive developments will follow the meeting between Russian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers, David Jamalyan said. |
