BAGHDAD — Iraqis voted on Wednesday in their first national election since US forces withdrew in 2011, with Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki seeking a third term amid rising violence. Iraq's western province of Anbar is torn by fighting as Sunni militants battle the Iraqi military. Its economy is struggling and Maliki faces criticism that he is aggravating sectarian splits and trying to consolidate power. Polls opened at 7 a.m. with a vehicle curfew in Baghdad. Voters are choosing from among 9,012 candidates and the parliamentary election will effectively serve as a referendum on Maliki, a Shiite who has governed for eight years. The elections went off in central Iraq and the south with few hitches by mid-day, while turnout was low in Sunni regions, where residents are often afraid of the security forces and Al-Qaeda inspired militants. The disparities were a reminder of the deep frictions now between the country's Shiite majority and Sunnis. Baghdad roads were dotted with military checkpoints and people walked on foot to the polling stations. Humvees flanked the voting centers. Razor wire sealed off the area as people passed multiple checkpoints to go inside to vote. Several dozen army and police swarmed the street. The seeming calm was a contrast to the 2010 elections, when the capital was ripped by explosions, many of them sound bombs. Security threats Maliki was among the first to vote in Baghdad at a hotel next to the fortified Green Zone where the government is based. He urged people to follow suit despite security threats. "I call upon the Iraqi people to head in large numbers to the ballot boxes to send a message of deterrence and a slap to the face of terrorism," Maliki told reporters. Political analysts say no party is likely to win a majority in the 328-seat parliament. Forming a government may be hard even if Maliki's State of Law alliance wins the most seats as expected, although he was confident of another victory. "Definitely our expectations are high," he said. "Our victory is confirmed but we are still talking about how big this victory will be," Maliki said. Maliki faces challenges from Shiite and Sunni rivals and has portrayed himself as his majority Shiite community's defender against the Sunni, Al Qaeda-inspired Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). He and his Shiite opponents both sought to present themselves as best suited for tackling the current fight for Anbar's two main cities of Ramadi and Falluja. Iraq's Sunni political leaders paint Maliki as an authoritarian ruler who wants to destroy their community. His main Sunni rival, parliamentary speaker Osama Al-Nujaifi, vowed after voting he would never back a third term for Maliki. "We have set red lines. We will not ally with the current prime minister in any case," Nujaifi told reporters. The mood among voters underscored division over who should guide the country in this uncertain and turbulent period. Many voters in Baghdad's prosperous and mainly Shiite Karrada district expressed high hopes for Maliki. "Maliki can defeat terrorism because ... he has the great asset of the people's support. He has the experience and knowledge," said Mahmoud Sadiq Al Rubaie, a laborer. — Reuters
