Candidates campaigning in the Iraqi elections are calling for a postponement of this month’s elections in the hopes that a later date will guarantee a higher turnout of the Sunni population. The Electoral Commission has denied the requests.
Iraq’s Sunni population has called for a boycott of the elections, which are set to be held on the 30th. The largest Sunni political party has also pulled out of the candidacy. A low Sunni turnout would cast doubt on the election’s legitimacy.
One Iraqi government official is in Egypt, trying to get the country’s government to intervene and moderate with the Sunni population not to boycott the election. The election is the country’s first free election since 1958.
