73 percent of Iraqis plan to vote Jan. 31

BAGHDAD, Jan. 20 (UPI) -- Roughly three-fourths of all eligible voters in Iraq said they plan to take part in the provincial elections Jan. 31, a government poll shows.

The Iraqi National Media Center of the Iraqi Parliament said 73 percent of those surveyed said they plan to vote Jan. 31.

The poll showed the most anticipated voter turnout was in the province of Karbala, which expected around 85 percent of voters to head to the polls. The National Media Center said Najaf province expected the lowest turnout, but did not provide the percentile.

Among the reasons for voting, 30 percent of the Iraqis participating in the survey said they were doing so because of their national obligation. Support for their candidates was given as the reason by 20 percent of those surveyed, while 19 percent said they hoped to improve the leadership of the provincial council.

Meanwhile, 42 percent of those surveyed said they were likely to vote for secular candidates, while 31 percent said they favored candidates supported by the various religious parties in the country.

The Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission is charged with overseeing the Jan. 31 elections in all but the three Kurdish provinces and Kirkuk. Those elections are delayed because of territorial disputes. Iraq held its last round of elections for provincial and parliamentary positions on Jan. 30, 2005.

The National Media Center did not provide statistical analysis of the survey.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Emerging_Threats/2009/01/20/73_percent_of_Iraqis_plan_to_vote_Jan_31/UPI-40301232465233/.