Iraq unveils poll security plan

[<bleeding_heart>]

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.

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[Fluffybunny]

I hope it works out.

I'd like to see the elections come and be successful. It would be great to have Iraq on it's way to being democratic.

I was reading that there are Kurdish population centers in the north that are fairly stable. The Kurds are digging a 10 foot deep, 10 foot wide "moat" around their city centers in order to keep car bombs from being a problem...kind of a good idea...

[Michelle]

My prayers are with those that only want to stand up and be counted.