Nearly 61,000 expatriate Iraqis started casting ballots in Iran on Friday to choose a 275-seat national assembly in their country.

Iran, which was at war with Iraq for eight years during the 1980s, has the largest number of Iraqi exiles registering for the election out of a total of some 280,000 across the globe.

Polling stations opened in six Iranian cities, namely, Tehran, Ahvaz, Kermanshah, Mashhad, Orumiyeh and Qom, and the voting runs from Friday through Sunday, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Expatriate Iraqis in Iran showed great enthusiasm in the polls, with queues reported in some voting centers.

"Over the registration period, we have seen a great deal of commitment and enthusiasm form Iraqis in Iran. Many people have traveled considerable distances in order to be able to register," Kate Pryce, head of the IOM's Out-of-Country Voting (OCV) Program in Iran, said in a press release.

An OCV official in Iran also refuted the allegation that there are discriminatory approaches in the OCV program, stating that expatriate Iraqis have been equally treated in all of the 14 countries where the program is being held.

"All of the registered Iraqis, no matter where they are, have been required to submit necessary certificate to prove their identity," Monica Ellena told Xinhua in a phone interview.

Seyed Mohsen Hakim, political advisor to head of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, said on Jan. 11 that some of the eligibility requirements set by the OIM for Iraqis residing in Iran were discriminatory.

"According to IOM, Iraqis residing in the countries are eligible to vote just by proving that they were born on or before Dec. 31, 1986," Hakim said.

"While those residing in Iran are also required to present another document to prove their identity such as identification card, passport and driving license," Hakim added.

Source: Xinhua