Landmark elections kick off throughout Iraq

Iraq's landmark elections kicked off throughout the war-torn country on Sunday. The polling began at 7:00 a.m. (0400 GMT) to usher in a new course of the oil-rich but violence-shattered country.

The 275-seat National Assembly will be formed by proportional representation of votes with a one-year mandate. It will choose a transitional government and draft a permanent constitution put for a national referendum by Oct. 15.

A new government and parliament will then be elected through another ballot by the end of this year under the guidance of the constitution.

As of Friday, over 280,000 Iraqi expatriates have begun to cast their votes.

The parliamentary election is being held amid mounting violence, a headache for the US-led occupation forces and Iraqi national guards. On Saturday, Iraq announced a one-month extension for its emergency law which gives the interim government special powers to impose curfews and close borders and airports.

The emergency law was first imposed for 60 days last November before a major offensive against the rebellious stronghold of Fallujah, some 50 km west of Baghdad.

It was renewed on Jan. 6 by Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi for 30 days to fight against ramping violence aimed at derailing the election process.

The Iraqi government has taken security measures to safeguard Sunday's election. Land borders have been closed as of Friday and travel between provinces inside the country is also banned. An extended curfew has been announced in most cities from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. (1600 to 0300 GMT).