An independent Iraqi electoral commission has certified more than 19,000 candidates for the elections on January 30, while international observers plan to watch the vote from the safety in the Jordanian capital, the United Nations and a news report said Thursday. The U.N. headquarters in New York said the Iraqi commission has registered more than 19,000 candidates, including 6,000 who will run for the constituent assembly and the provisional government. Others will run for local legislatures, including in the Kurd-held regions in northern Iraq. More than 250 political entities and groups have also registered to take part in the elections. The current interim government in Baghdad and U.S. authorities in Iraq are determined to hold the January 30 elections despite the growing violence led by insurgents to derail the democratic process, the first in decades after Saddam Hussein was toppled from power by the U.S.-led invasion of the country in March, 2003. The New York Times reported on Thursday that representatives from seven countries met in Ottawa on Tuesday to discuss recruiting international volunteers to monitor the elections. --More 2246 Local Time 1946 GMT
