BAGHDAD — Iraqi security forces have taken sides in parliamentary
elections.
Iraqi soldiers and police have been openly campaigning for candidates
for parliament. Police cars and some military vehicles driving in major
cities have sported stickers that endorse candidates, Middle East Newsline reported.
The government has not sought to stop the activity. Iraqi law does not
ban government employees or soldiers from campaigning.
"We have spoken to some of the officers, but that hasn't quite worked,"
an Iraqi official said.
Iraqis began to flock to polls on Thursday to vote for the 275-member
National Assembly. By mid-afternoon, mortar attacks were reported in
Baghdad, Mosul and Tikrit. Many polling stations in the Anbar province were
not opened because of U.S.-led security operations near the Syrian border.
Officials said police commanders have also been endorsing candidates
both during and after work. They said the trend was less pervasive in the
military, where discipline has been generally higher than in the police.
Some of the officers were believed to have been involved in campaign
violence, officials said. There have been no reports of arrests or
disciplinary action.
In many cases, young soldiers and police officers have asked their
superiors for guidance on candidates. Some commanders said they advised
their men to ask families.
"I tell them: 'Call your mother and vote for whomever she says,'" Brig.
Gen. Jawad Romi Aldaini, commander of the Iraqi 2nd Brigade of the 6th
Division, said.
