Moqtada al-Sadr 'to suffer heavy defeat in Iraq election' - Telegraph

Moqtada al-Sadr, the firebrand Iraqi cleric, who once posed the greatest threat to British influence in Iraq, has suffered a significant defeat in the country's local elections, results are set to show.

By James Kirkup in Basra

British military and intelligence officials in Iraq are confident that Mr Sadr's political allies have been all but routed in the elections.

Iraq held local elections last weekend which passed off largely peacefully with results set to be formally declared on Feb 22.

Unofficial accounts of the results in Basra suggest that Sadrist parties will take only one or two of the thirty-five seats in Iraq's second city, where 4,000 British troops are stationed awaiting their final withdrawal later this year.

British officials see the political setback as the latest sign of Mr Sadr's diminished importance in southern Iraq.

Less than two years ago, Mr Sadr and his followers appeared to be the most powerful group in Iraqi politics, threatening the prospects of the country's western-backed government.

But a high-stakes military operation in Basra last year launched by the Iraqi government with British military support dealt a severe blow to Mr Sadr's status and influence. He had backed militant groups attempting to control Basra which were effectively destroyed by government forces under the prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki.

Mr Maliki's political allies are expected to make the biggest gains in Basra, something British officials say will facilitate the UK withdrawal from the country, which is set to begin in May.

Mr Maliki is expected to replace the current governor of Basra with one of his own allies, consolidating central government control over the oil rich south and long, British commanders hope, furthering the development of the Iraqi army as a reliable military force.

Mr Sadr meanwhile remains in Iran whose Shia Muslim leadership had backed his attempts to exert influence over Iraq.

Some British sources are even questioning whether Mr Sadr will return from Iran, speculating that his standing has been irrevocably undermined over the past year.

"Sadr gambled against Maliki and the result was that Sadr lost and Maliki won," one British source said.

Provisional election results expected to be released as early as Friday are expected to show that Mr Sadr; s allies polled fewer than 30,000 votes in Basra.

For the full article click here for the Telegraph website

Going downtown in Basra - DFID

Simon

DFID Representative, Iraq

I’ve been downtown twice in the last couple of weeks now, so I thought it might be interesting to set down some impressions of the city (as well as some photographs). Now that security has improved, we’re out and about in town on a regular basis. One of my trips included a long drive into and through town which gave me a particularly good opportunity to get a sense of the city and how things are doing.

Firstly, the atmospherics (as the military term them) are very positive. I’ve worked in other cities in conflict zones and there’s nothing like getting out on the ground for getting a sense of how you’re viewed. As we drove into town lots of I was positively impressed at the warm reception we received – lots of people waved or gave us the thumbs up and in many ways I found it reassuring that often people didn’t bat an eyelid at our presence either way.

Secondly, it’s very obviously been election time. The provincial elections took place on Saturday, and the city is covered in political posters - and since there were over 1200 candidates there’s a huge range of posters. Maybe this’ll seem simplistic but it looks to me like a town in which the population is engaged in the democratic process (and I’ll write about the elections more shortly). Together with the election posters there are a lot of banners and flags still up from the recent Shia religious festival of Ashura so the streets are nothing if not colourful.

Thirdly, though it’s down at heel and seen better days you can see that the downtown area - particularly the Corniche which runs alongside the Shatt Al Arab waterway, with its cafes and floating restaurants and the canals that spur from it - has real potential to be an attractive location. It’s often repeated to us that Basra used to be the ‘Venice of the east’ and while getting back to that is clearly some way off you can see how that may have been true and how it could be again.

Fourthly, there’s a strong and visible Iraqi Security Force presence – both police and army – on the streets. Checks points are set at regular intervals. Security has improved dramatically, and while the situation remains fragile it is incredibly encouraging that it is now the Iraqi Army that people rely on to provide security, not the UK or US.

Lastly, the city is vast, dirty and in places squalid – the journey into town takes over an hour, much of which runs past obviously poor communities where ramshackle houses stand next to pools of stagnant water and piles of rubbish. Much of this reflects decades of under-investment in the city – the city did particularly badly during the Saddam years (the city’s predominantly Shia and the Saddam punished it by starving it of funding following the Shia uprising in 1992 – it also suffered particularly severely during the Iran-Iraq war).

That said, I’m told by many of the people who’ve been here for a number of years that the city is currently in a better state than they’ve seen it before and that visible progress is being made. And while it’s clear that the city’s going to need years of sustained economic growth and investment in basic infrastructure to bring it to where it should be - given Iraq’s relative wealth – it’s also clear that the city’s moving in the right direction.

To see the blog on the DFID website click here

Big poll wins for Iraq PM's bloc - BBC

Preliminary results from Iraq's provincial elections show big wins for the bloc headed by the prime minister, Nouri Maliki.

His coalition won victories in Baghdad and Basra, and emerged as the largest group across the mainly Shia provinces of southern Iraq.

The other major city, Mosul, saw a strong result for a Sunni faction which boycotted the last elections.

Saturday's ballot was the first major poll held in the country since 2005.

The preliminary results, which are subject to appeal and review, confirmed what many anecdotal and unofficial accounts had already claimed, that the State of Law Coalition, headed by the prime minister, has come out very strongly in Shia and mixed areas.

Disappointed

It took 37% of the votes in Basra, 38% in Baghdad, and was ahead of the competition in most of the largely Shia south.

This happened at the expense of what was the biggest Shia faction, the Supreme Islamic Council in Iraq, regarded as close to Iran, and running under a different name.

Followers of the militant Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr will also be disappointed by their results.

Among the most closely watched returns were those for the mainly Sunni province of al-Anbar, to the west of Baghdad, where tribal leaders had threatened to take up arms if rival Sunni political parties came out on top.

The results showed one of the traditional parties just half a percentage point ahead of the main tribal coalition, with their chief adversaries coming in third.

It is perhaps a good enough result for the tribal factions to head off trouble, though a pre-emptive curfew has been declared there.

Further north in Mosul, as expected, a newly-formed Sunni faction came out well ahead of Kurdish groups, restoring political balance in an area where Sunnis are the majority.

The electoral commission says it is investigating many claims of election irregularities and the final results may be amended in the coming weeks if they are justified.

Click here for BBC Online

Iraq's provincial elections provide hope of real change - Montreal Gazette

The counting isn't over and it would be a mistake to draw premature conclusions from Iraq's Jan. 31 provincial elections. But the elections added, many observers say, to a sense that change is really coming to Iraq. And it's change, we can't help saying, that Iraqis can believe in.

This doesn't mean a change of government, necessarily. Most accounts suggest the current administration will be re-elected. But the post-Saddam era is ending, and Iraq is moving to something new. Just what that will be is not clear, but almost everyone will see this as progress.
Saturday's elections were the most peaceful vote since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion as well as being the first since Iraq and the U.S. agreed formally that U.S. soldiers will be gone by 2011.

Observers had predicted upheaval at the polls, but there was little. True, it was disappointing that barely half of eligible voters voted, but it was a positive development that Sunnis, who boycotted the 2005 elections, participated in strong numbers.

And the election demonstrated a marked disillusionment with religious parties. Voters signalled a sharp turn toward a secular agenda, evidently putting their support behind Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who had campaigned on a platform of public order under a strong central government.

A nationalist wind also seemed to be blowing, with former prime minister Iyad Allawi's party reportedly attracting votes from both Sunnis and Shias. Strong candidates who can appeal to a spectrum of voters are to be welcomed in a country so severely tested by sectarian violence.
Sunni Iraqis, having lost the predominance they enjoyed under Saddam Hussein, are widely understood to have supported the insurgency against the government.

For Sunnis to have turned out for this election suggests that sectarian fighting might have given way to political dispute, although nobody doubts that criminal and terrorist violence will continue on some scale.

A single election does not a democracy make. This voting was carefully structured to avoid inciting Kurdish nationalists. The Kurdish northern areas did not vote Saturday. They will take part in parliamentary elections to be held toward the end of the year. Voting was also put indefinitely on hold in Kirkuk. Serious challenges still confront the new Iraq.

But a new Iraq it is, and there is hope, at least, that the people of this tattered and troubled country can find a way to manage their affairs with ballots instead of bombs and bullets.

To see the article on the Montreal Gazette click here

UN Envoy: Iraqi Provincial Elections 'Historic'

The U.N. Special Representative in Iraq, Staffan de Mistura, said that of the nearly 15 million eligible voters, about 51 percent - almost 7.5 million people - went to the polls on Saturday.

Provisional results are expected in the next few days, but final results are not likely before the end of the month.

Speaking via video link from Baghdad on Tuesday, De Mistura called the election "historic" because it was the first to take place since Iraq regained its sovereignty.

"In other words, an Iraqi election led by the Iraqis, managed by the Iraqis, with the assistance of the U.N., but done by themselves," he said.

Voters went to the polls to select provincial councils in 14 of the country's 18 provinces.

Under the new election law passed by parliament last year, voters were able to choose not only the party they favored, but also specific candidates. The electoral commission certified more than 14,000 candidates, including some 4,000 women.

For the full article on VOANews.com click here

Election success pave way for the leaving of Basra - Independent

By Terri Judd

Basra's elections passed without major incident this weekend setting the tone for the British end game in Iraq.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's sweeping victory in the provincial elections, in which voters chose secular and nationalist parties over religious ones, was reflected in the country's second largest city, where initial reports suggest his list has claimed 50 per cent of the vote.

The relatively peaceful passing of the election set the right tone for the withdrawal of British forces, who are due to leave by the end of July.

UK soldiers, who have assisted in planning and mentoring the Iraqi security services, were on standby to assist with any outbreaks of violence but weren't needed.

This was the first election to be secured by the Iraqis themselves as well as the first to be run by the Iraqis, through the Iraqi International High Electoral Commission.

It has also been the first election where Basrawis voted on the performance of elected officials (the last provincial elections were in 2005) and the first time all the ethnic groups participated (the last time the Sunnis boycotted the elections).

Mr Maliki called the polls "a victory for all the Iraqis" while Prime Minister Gordon Brown Gordon Brown said: "That so many Iraqis once again braved the threat of intimidation to vote in provincial elections sends the clearest possible signal of their commitment to Iraq's sovereign, democratic future."

In Basra all leave was cancelled for the 28,000 Iraqi police and soldiers in the lead up to the voting and a hotline encouraged locals to tip the security services off to any militia activity.
British Military operations will end by 31 May and the remaining 4,100 service personnel will leave within two months. Several hundred trainers will remain, some working with the Iraqi navy.

Violence in the city has dropped dramatically since last March when Iraqi forces, backed by Americans and Brits broke the militias stronghold.

Click here for the Independent online

Iraqi forces taking lead in Basra - Stars & Stripes

Official: British won’t need U.S. replacements

By Jeff Schogol, Stars and Stripes

U.S. troops will not have to replace British troops, who are expected to leave southern Iraq later this year, said British Maj. Gen. Andy Salmon on Monday.

Salmon’s comments come after the top U.S. commander in Iraq said last month that he was considering sending U.S. troops to Basra to replace the British.

Army Gen. Ray Odierno said in December that he might move a brigade or division headquarters to Basra followed by an undetermined number of combat troops, according to The Associated Press.

"We think it’s important to maintain some presence down here just because we think Basra is an important city, and we think it’s important to have some oversight here," he said.

Multi-National Force–Iraq was unable to say by deadline Monday whether Odierno had changed his mind.

"I know that the commander on the ground here will want to make sure he has some situational awareness, but it won’t be replacing U.K. troops man for man," Salmon told reporters.

British troops are expected to pull out of Iraq by July 31, Salmon said. Iraqi security forces in the region are already in the lead, with the help of some U.S. training teams.

"In terms of the Iraqi security force’s capabilities to manage internal security issues, I think that’s really good," he said, adding that both Iraqi troops and police still need work.

As security conditions have improved, the mission in Basra has changed to ensuring the rule of law, providing stability and helping local government to be effective, Salmon said.

Iraqi security forces are able to handle any "low-level violence" following Saturday’s provincial elections, and British troops are expected to complete their mission by May 31, he said.

"So essentially there is no relief in place," he said.

"This is a different mission that we’ve been building up; new security conditions; Iraqis are in charge; Brits finish their job off and they redeploy leaving no vacuums."

Read the article on Stars & Stripes

UK troops have met Iraq exit conditions - Reuters

British troops in Iraq have largely met the conditions required for their withdrawal and are on track to begin leaving the country by May 31, a top British commander said on Monday.

Major General Andy Salmon, commander of coalition forces in southeastern Iraq, said the holding of peaceful provincial elections on Saturday met the latest of Prime Minister Gordon Brown's goals for removing Britain's 4,000 troops from Iraq by the end of July.

"In the main, we've completely met the conditions," Salmon told Pentagon reporters in a video link from Basra.

"With that in mind, then, we will see British troops start to transition. They will finish the mission by the 31st of May and British troops will be out of Iraq by the 31st of July."

Two other goals set by Brown were the transfer of Basra's international airport to Iraqi control, which occurred earlier this month, and the rejuvenation of the region's economy.

Salmon said Saturday's elections showed that Iraqi forces are capable of tackling any political violence that might erupt as newly elected provincial council members select new regional governors by the end of March.

He also said the violence has fallen to levels not seen since the start of the war, which has encouraged investment interest.

Regional business leaders have received 17 firm offers of outside investment interest for projects worth $12.8 billion (9 billion pound). Potential investors include British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline and oil giant Shell, he said.

(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Vicki Allen)

Basra Polling Was 'Litmus Test' for Security Forces

Iraqi police and soldiers in Basra performed well during the Jan. 31 provincial elections, a senior British officer posted in Iraq said today.

Basra's citizens "were safe and secure" when they casted their ballots, British Royal Marine Maj. Gen. Andy Salmon, commander of Multinational Division Southeast, told Pentagon reporters during a satellite-carried news conference.

Salmon's command includes elements of the British and Australian militaries and it operates in the southernmost part of Iraq, including the city of Basra. The elections in Basra passed without major incident, said Salmon, who cited the "impeccable" performance of Iraqi soldiers and police.

Nearly 1.5 million people had registered to vote in Basra and its environs, Salmon said, adding that overall voter turnout in his area topped 50 percent. The elections took place in 14 of Iraq's 18 provinces.

Basra's voting-day success "was really important for the Iraqi security forces" there, Salmon said. "It was a litmus-test for them, and the fact that they passed with very minor incidents was a testament to the way they've developed" over the past few months.

Salmon said he was impressed by the Iraqi security forces' demonstrated performance and professionalism. For example, an Iraqi policeman was promptly "sacked" or fired on the spot by his commander, Salmon said, after the officer inappropriately fired his rifle in the air to move along a queue of voters.

Iraqi security forces in Basra will continue to improve, Salmon said, noting he predicts more joint cooperation and partnership between Iraqi soldiers and police. "Now, it's really a question of making sure that police reform continues," Salmon said.

Efforts to enhance border and port security in southern Iraq also are being enhanced, he said. With the much-improved security, Salmon said, Basra's citizens now rate crime, jobs, and the delivery of essential services as higher concerns. Those issues, he said, are "the sort of thing that anybody would be worried about in any city in the world, frankly."

Meanwhile, Basra's people are "determined not to go back to the previous 30 years of darkness," Salmon said, referring to the past brutal, corrupt rule by deceased dictator Saddam Hussein.

"They've tasted freedom recently; they like it and want more of it," Salmon said of Basra's citizens. "They want decent politicians that can deliver; they want more transparency, they want corruption dealt with. "And these elections are really the start of all of that," Salmon said.

See the article on the Australian web site here

Voices of Basra

Basrawis talk about life in the southern Iraqi city in the wake of Operation Charge of the Knights, discussing the improved security situation and their hopes for the future. Video includes footage of day-to-day life in the hustle and bustle of a thriving Basra and gives some interesting facts and figures. In Arabic with subtitles. Produced by Perki Productions for the Ministry of Defence.

High turnout in Iraqi election - Telegraph

Allies of the US-backed Iraqi leader Nouri al-Maliki have been rewarded at the polls for improving security and tackling insurgents, according to early election forecasts.

Candidates supporting the current prime minister have made strong gains in the south of the country according to Iraqi media.

The southern port of Basra and the Shiite holy city of Najaf are among key areas believed to have posted gains for al-Maliki allies. Iraqi secular parties are also thought to have gained votes because of disillusionment with religious parties.

Overall turnout in Saturday's provincial elections was 51 per cent, less than expected and less than previous polls, but the election passed without major violence.

The low turnout was blamed on confusion over the vote registration. Many Iraqis complained they had turned up at polling stations only to find their names was not registered to vote.

Road closures and vehicle bans designed to prevent car bombings are also thought to have deterred voters.

But those who did cast their votes praised a government-led purge of Shia militias in Basra and southern regions last year.

"Al-Maliki ended the militiamen's reign of terror," said Faisal Hamadi, 58, after voting in Basra. "For this he deserves our vote."

Victory for al-Maliki's allies would come at the expense of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, the biggest Shiite party. It would also strengthen his position ahead of national elections later this year.

Sunni voters boycotted the 2005 provincial elections in fear of reprisals and in protest at the US invasion of their country.

However on Saturday Salaheddin, Saddam Hussein's home province, recorded the largest turnout at 65 per cent. Anbar, the former Sunni rebel stronghold which had a turnout of less than one per cent four years ago, recorded 40 per cent turnout the Iraqi election commission said.

Sunni leaders are also hoping to capitalise on their role in dramatically curbing insurgency violence.

Tribal leaders who formed Awakening Councils, abandoning the insurgency to fight al Qaeda, are now hoping for seats on provincial councils.

Voting took place in 14 of Iraq's 18 provinces and official results are not expected for several days.

US President Barack Obama congratulated the people of Iraq on the smooth-running elections.

"This important step forward should continue the process of Iraqis taking responsibility for their future," he said in a statement.

More than 14,400 candidates stood for 440 seats in councils, which appoint the provincial governor and oversee finance and reconstruction, with a combined budget of $2.5 billion (£1.8 billion).

The elections took place under tight security with many streets closed to traffic to prevent car bombings.

Violence in Iraq has fallen to its lowest levels since the 2003 US-led election new figures have shown.

A total of 191 Iraqis were killed in violence last month (JAN), including 27 soldiers and 24 policemen. Just over 400 Iraqis were wounded.

"I consider the toll is due to the efforts of the Iraqi security forces, and the support of the Iraqi people, which helped to keep down the terror," said defence ministry spokesman Major General Mohammad al-Askari.

Gordon Brown praised Iraqis for "braving the threat of intimidation"

to take part in the elections.

"That so many Iraqis once again braved the threat of intimidation to vote in provincial elections sends the clearest possible signal of their commitment to Iraq's sovereign, democratic future," he said.

Click here for the Telegraph

Iraqis turn out in record numbers for crucial elections - The Observer

Iraqis voted in record numbers yesterday in pivotal elections hailed as a key test of the sectarian landscape and a battle for power between central government and the disaffected regions.

Voter turnout was beyond expectations across the 14 provinces that took part, according to election monitors, who also reported little violence or overt signs of interference in the ballot.

The poll lead-up had been dogged by warnings that militias linked to the main political blocs would use the elections to mount a resurgence. Attacks were lower, however, than at any time during the past fortnight, with only three mortars reported falling in Tikrit, the former hometown of Saddam Hussein.

The Sunni Muslim blocs turned out en masse after boycotting the last provincial poll in January 2005 and leading a militia-driven rebellion throughout much of the past four years. Up to 60% of eligible voters turned out in the Sunni heartland of Anbar province, compared with less than 2% last time.

At a polling station in the central Iraqi city of Karbala, Sheikh Haidar Mizher said the vote had exceeded his expectations. "The election process will help to stabilise security in Iraq and enforce the law and give us a free and dignified life," he said. "Before the invasion there was no sectarianism. All groups were living together. What happened was caused by hidden hands from outside the country. We believe that things will soon be back to the way they were before the invasion."

The head of coalition party Iraqi National List, Mithal al-Alusi, last night alleged that the Iranian consul-general in the southern Iraqi city of Basra had walked through several polling stations, in a bid to interfere in the ballot. "Our monitors in Basra and other monitors as well saw the Iranian consul walk through with a fully armed convoy," he said. "This is obviously an attempt at intimidation and proves old habits have not died."

In Baghdad and Falluja, candidates claimed they had been threatened with their lives if they failed to stand down.

The prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, whose State of Law coalition was banking on a solid showing in the face of a threatened rebellion from the regions over poor service delivery, said the poll was largely conducted fairly.

"Many people have seen Iraq as a dictatorship, but today that has changed," he said, casting his ballot in Baghdad. "Others are saying this is a sectarian government, but this isn't true. We can't be a dictatorship again and we won't be."

Seen throughout his leadership as a key ally of former US president George W Bush, Maliki had been widely criticised for failing to distribute spoils from an oil-led budget surplus of up to $22bn to the largely impoverished provinces.

Alaa Waheed, an engineer from Karbala, said: "We need new faces and new blood in politics. People have become more aware of elections, and this is a good experiment for democracy at a street level. Change is urgently needed because basic services are very poor. We need a new administration to change that."

The election was also seen as a clash between old-guard exiles, such as former prime minister Iyad Allawi, whose party, the Iraqi National Accord, ran candidates in most provinces, and a new breed of homegrown candidates who campaigned on nationalist and largely secular platforms. The incumbent exiles steadily lost favour as Iraq struggled with sectarian war and crippling instability.

Early results from the polls are expected within three days, but the final balance of power throughout the provinces will not be known for up to three weeks.

Click here for the Observer

British troops prepare Iraq withdrawal - BBC

ritish troops are training and mentoring the Iraqi army ahead of the final departure of the British Army on 31 July.

As the UK announces its withdrawal from Iraq,an overall judgement of its deployment should be a favourable one.

At last, election day in Basra - BBC

By Paul Adams

In the sixth instalment of his week-long diary, BBC diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams reports from Basra on the day of the provincial elections.

Election day and for the first time, we leave the old naval base without our British minders. The British military transition team are confined to base on this critical day, so we head out with our Iraqi army escorts.

It is amazing: they have been at our disposal for an entire week now, with barely a grumble.

The Iraqis say they have picked up intelligence of a threat, by a group affiliated to al-Qaeda, to kidnap a British journalist in Basra, so we take extra precautions.

No-one seems to give the warning much credence, but the British tell me to call in every half an hour until we are safely back.

Serious business

We set off in the company of a dozen heavily-armed Iraqi soldiers, through a section of the city they control.

The streets are free of traffic, so our jeeps race along faster than ever. People are walking everywhere, heading for the polls.

The scene at the Farahidi polling station is one of ordered, serious business. Voters look for their names and ration card numbers on lists plastered to the wall outside. A quick security check (the women are led to a blue tent to preserve their modesty) and they are free to go inside and vote.

The army is out in strength. Colonel Haidar el-Azzawi, whose men we have been shadowing all week, is on hand to oversee the security operation. A man who served in Saddam Hussein's army, he is emphatic that Iraqis need to make their own choices.

Overhead, two British Apache attack helicopters circle the city, a reminder that help is at hand, should the Iraqi army need it.

But no-one looks up. The British presence in their city has ceased to be a source of aggravation (there are only 200 British soldiers inside the city, with a handful of armoured vehicles) and they have other, more pressing things on their minds.

Electricity, drinkable water, accountable politics. The raw sewage lying in puddles in the middle of Iraq's second largest city.

The Brits are watching them, though. A successful round of elections means that British troops are one step closer to coming home, according to objectives set by Prime Minister Gordon Brown last summer.

We return to our barracks, to find the lads of the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment watching football, playing chess, pulling weights and working out on the treadmills. Their time here is drawing to a close.

High hopes for peaceful elections - BBC

By Paul Adams

In the fifth instalment of his week-long diary, BBC diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams discovers high hopes that the elections will go ahead peacefully.

After a week of unbroken sunshine, the clouds gather and it rains. It patters hard on the canvas covering the makeshift solar showers and forms wide puddles around the Mastiff armoured vehicles parked outside. It is cold.

With Saturday's provincial elections taking place, the men of Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment are pretty much confined to barracks. They already keep a low profile in the city, but will be invisible on polling day. Nothing must be allowed to alter the impression that this is an entirely Iraqi affair.

The men are briefed on events in the city. Their area of operations includes numerous polling stations. The Iraqi army is deployed in strength around the city, securing the outer perimeters of polling stations, and no-one here seems to think there will be trouble.

But with a couple of hundred British soldiers still based in the city, and 4,000 stationed nearby, they will respond if the Iraqis ask for help.

Given that the successful holding of provincial elections is one of the conditions the British government has set for the final withdrawal of its troops from Iraq, everyone hopes the day will pass off peacefully.

The men of 1 PWRR are told what will happen if they are called out. A map is displayed here in their base, showing the locations of polling stations.

But everyone is relaxed and most spend the day attending to chores and studying. An education officer is visiting for a few days and she has got the men's noses in their books.

They are not under any obligation to study, but they know that promotion depends on reaching certain educational standards. For many young men who left school early, it is an opportunity to make up for lost time.

Fred and I prepare video material for tomorrow's election coverage and send it over via satellite. It takes hours. Late in the evening we are told by London that something has gone wrong and it all has to be sent again. Glamorous lifestyle, this.

Click here for BBC Online

Basra aiming to turn the corner - BBC

By Paul Adams

In the fourth instalment of his week-long diary, BBC diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams meets the people preparing for the weekend's elections.

Another chance to see the British mentors in action this morning as we visit an Iraqi army battalion headquarters downtown. The 1-50 are housed in a building that should have been a hotel but was never finished.

It is in a sorry state, roof tiles sagging, broken windows, whole rooms upstairs full of rubbish. The water in the swimming pool is an evil shade of green.

But Sgt Maj Jim Leech is not interested in niceties. He wants to know how the base is organised. He casts an experienced soldier's eye over the storeroom and clinic and makes suggestions on how things can be done better. He is unfailingly polite and never remotely patronising.

In a one-time bathroom, grenade launchers are piled in a wooden box. But the gun racks are clean and labelled - everything is checked in and out. Sgt Maj Leech seems satisfied.

Truck loads of 1-50 soldiers are loading sleeping bags and personal kit onto their jeeps. They are off to guard the outer perimeters of polling stations across the city, ahead of Saturday's important provincial elections.

'Critical point'

We drive off, along streets smothered in campaign posters, to a meeting with Hatem el-Bachary, who is heading an independent list and hoping to pick up a few of the 35 seats up for grabs in Basra.

A genial businessman, with company offices in Bradford, he says it is time to invest in the city's future because people are disappointed with what Iraq's politicians have achieved so far.

"This is a very critical point in the democracy of Iraq," he tells me. "They have already wasted five or six years."

Hatem looks out over a fetid canal that runs beside his park and says he dreams of turning Iraq's second largest city into something people can be proud of. He speaks with real passion, but the task is daunting. The city does not seem to have changed much in appearance since I first came here in late 2003.

This evening, we drive into the teeming heart of the city, into streets that have come alive. A year ago, with the city held hostage by fundamentalist militias, Basra was dead after dark. But the government took on the militias and now, despite Basra's myriad problems, the city seems to have turned a corner - for the time being at least.

Hatem is out campaigning. His young team have set up a projector on a corner of broken kerb stones, and a small crowd of curious onlookers is blocking the traffic.

For a man with big ambitions, it is an embarrassing affair. There are endless problems with the projector and the sound, and the screen keeps being blown over in the breeze. Hatem does not seem in the least bit fazed and says it is important for politicians to be out on the street, meeting real people.

It is hard to see how he can break the power of the larger parties in Basra, but he is full of optimism. We leave as the sound system is finally fixed and his campaign song - which seems to consist mainly of his name, repeated over and over - blends with the car horns and bustle of night time Basra.

Click here for BBC Online

Enthusiasm - and wariness - as Basra prepares to vote - Independent on Sunday

By Terri Judd

Basra's mobile phones have been buzzing incessantly for the past few weeks as candidates implore the local population by text message to vote in tomorrow's election.

Today the printing presses that have been churning out leaflets finally fell quiet, their wares now mingling with the sewage that still fills too many of the city's streets.

Across Iraq's second largest city, the British main area of operations for almost six years, pick-up trucks have been circling with loud speakers. Posters of portly men in suits stare down at the locals, a visible difference from the host of severe looking clerics that once dominated the walls.

The enthusiasm of a youthful democracy is palpable as Basrawis face a dizzying array of 1,272 candidates competing for just 35 seats. People lining up at the pomegranate smoothie stalls or perambulating down the riverside corniche have been holding lively, passionate discussions as they prepare to vote.

Queues are expected to be slow going at the cities 3,360 polling stations where the voters will first be faced with a list of the 82 parties before having to consult a booklet of candidates to make their final choice.

Among them is Salah Al-Rekhayis, of the Movement of Free Iraqis, who is bidding to become the first member of the, often overlooked, black community to be voted into power. Mr Al-Rekhayis, from Az Zubayr, a town south west of Basra, insisted that it was the US President Barack Obama who inspired him to run.

While security has improved beyond recognition since Operation Charge of the Knights last March, when Iraqi security forces backed by the Americans and Brits drove the insurgents out of the city, the locals have many issues to challenge their elected representatives about. Why, in such a naturally wealthy country, are they still subjected to problems with sewage, unemployment, electricity and water, they want to know.

But the glee with which the city's 1,340,000 registered voters have welcomed their first opportunity to stand in judgement of the four-year-old provincial government has been tempered by a fear that the violence will return. On Thursday a driver for the sewage department was killed by a roadside bomb in Basra, the third in January. Two Iraqi border police died in earlier attacks.

While the number of incidents are radically down from the days when the militias dominated the city, it is still treble the explosions felt in December and the local security forces have been wary of any outbreaks of intimidation during the election.

All leave has been cancelled for the 28,000 Iraqi police and soldiers who have flooded the city in the lead up to the voting, attempting to convince the population that it is safe to take part. A hotline has encouraged locals to tip the security services off to any militia activity.

The 4,100 British service personnel in the area, who have assisted in planning and mentoring, will be nowhere in evidence tomorrow, deliberately disappearing in favour of their Iraqi counterparts.

However, they will remain alert, ready to provide a quick reaction force or casualty evacuation if the situation explodes.

"We will all be ready if something goes wrong and General Mohammed's troops can not cope but they will cope," said Lieutenant Colonel Dickie Winchester, spokesman for the British forces.

Observers from the Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission as well as the Arab League, Turkey, the US and Britain have been monitoring the election.

But the British remain wary of what will happen when the results are announced around 2 February before a two-week challenge period.

Lt Col Winchester explained: "There are no indications that there will be significant violence. The Iraqi Security Forces remain on alert, and are prepared to counter violence, should it break out once the results are issued, in a ‘bad loser' scenario. That said, all major parties – including Muqtada al-Sadr's party – have called on people to vote in large numbers. Noone is boycotting the election and nobody has said anything about violence."

Click here for the Independent on Sunday

Voters prepare to test Iraq’s progress - Financial Times

By Andrew England in Basra

The grey, crumbling walls that line Basra's rubbish-strewn streets and surround scruffy buildings have long stood out as examples of the decay that has taken over Iraq's second city after years of violence and neglect.

Yet today, it is as if they have been injected with a new lease of life as they stand plastered with colourful posters that highlight both the different faces of Iraqi society and the battle hotting up for tomorrow's provincial elections. Alongside images of austerelooking bearded men in clerical robes are headshots of women in brightly coloured veils and businessmen in western-style suits, each vying for a seat in Basra's regional government.

Voters head to the polls for the first time in four years in provincial elections that will give an indication of how far Iraq has progressed, as the nation attempts to move away from years of violence to much-needed stability and reconstruction.

For western officials the elections will be a test of the Iraqi security forces' ability to maintain law and order as both the US and the UK look to withdraw their troops - the former in about 16 months, the latter by the end of July. They will also be an important indicator of whether groups that have fuelled much of the violence in recent years are willing to rely on the ballot box rather than bands of militia.

For war-weary Iraqis, fed up with corruption, mismanagement, killing and kidnappings, the polls offer a glimmer of hope that a new generation of politicians may emerge, with a focus on people's needs rather than the corrupt and sectarian politics that have dominated in the post-Saddam era.

"We want to choose the honest one who works for Iraq, not for himself," says Mohammed, a 19-year-old student.

His words are echoed by others in Basra, which has been ruled by Shia Islamist parties since the last polls in 2005 and is in desperate need of reconstruction. As Mohammed speaks a campaign vehicle zooms past with a loudspeaker relaying a candidate's pledge to rebuild and change the once dynamic port.

Such promises have been made before, only to vanish beneath an upsurge in sectarian violence that threatened to tear the nation apart and a despairing sense of malaise, fuelled not only by the bloodshed, but also by rampant corruption and mismanagement. Caution still prevails and turnout will be an important indicator of how many Iraqis are willing to put their faith in a political process that has produced mainly empty promises.

There are marked changes from 2005, in part illustrated by the swath of campaign posters adorning the streets.

It is the first "open list" election, under which voters get to see the candidates, rather than in 2005 when they simply selected from faceless party lists. Back then, most political groups were based on religion, but tomorrow thousands of independents are taking part with 14,000 candidates competing for 440 seats in 14 of Iraq's 18 provinces. In Basra, more than 1,200 candidates are competing for just 35 seats, partly a result of security gains that have given candidates the confidence to put themselves forward.

Arab Sunni groups, most of which boycotted the 2005 polls, are involved this time and analysts say the combination of independents and Sunni could go some way to addressing imbalances created four years ago and produce more representative administrations.

In Anbar and Diyala, provinces that were hotbeds of the insurgency, the Awakening Councils, which brought together former Sunni militants to fight against al-Qaeda and who became critical to the US success in stabilising the provinces, will gauge their political strength for the first time.

The provincial vote will act as a bellwether for the main Shia Islamist parties that have dominated the government for the past four years, including the Dawa party of Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister, and the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, the strongest of the Shia ruling parties, before elections for the national parliament scheduled for this year.

Many eyes will be on the Sadrist movement of Moqtada al-Sadr, the firebrand Shia cleric. His group and the Mahdi Army militia, which is nominally loyal to Mr Sadr, was viewed by many as one of the big threats to Iraq's stability.

The Sadrists have suffered setbacks but are thought to still enjoy strong support among the urban poor. They are not contesting the elections but have endorsed two "independent" lists, the success of which may offer some insight into the extent of influence they retain.

Ultimately, how the losers react could be just as critical as who wins.

Click here for the FT online

Lessons learned on Basra streets - BBC Online

Paul Adams
BBC News, Basra

In the third instalment of his week-long diary, BBC diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams joins US military police as they mentor local officers.

A change of scene this morning, as we're taken to watch the Americans at work. Basra may have been at the heart of the British operation since 2003, but the Americans are here too, doing similar work.

At the Saudia police station in Brehah neighbourhood, we catch up with a squad of military police (MPs) from Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

They're mentoring local policemen, just as our British hosts, a Military Transition Team, are working with the Iraqi army.

'Getting out'

We follow Sgt Collier's men as they shadow an Iraqi patrol down the road to a polling station where members of the security forces - army and police - are already voting in provincial elections (the rest of the population votes on Saturday, and we'll be there to watch).

The streets of this residential neighbourhood are quiet. The American MPs have all seen much more dangerous neighbourhoods during tours elsewhere in Iraq. They seem happy enough to be down in Basra.

They know their British colleagues are getting ready to leave, but there's no apparent resentment.

"You guys are smart. You're getting out early," says a young MP.

Lt Aaron Webb is more circumspect.

"I think it's a false impression. Both our countries have their own timetable when they want to step out of Iraq."

In a spartan, smoke filled office at the police station, another MP is trying to get his head around a complicated crime involving rape, honour and revenge.

There are cultural issues to understand ("Do Christians do honour killings?") and basic policing to check ("Is the prisoner being properly protected?"). The young man from Fort Bragg struggles to take it all in his stride.

Professional pride

From here we drive through the teeming streets of downtown Basra for lunch with 1 Batt, 50 Brigade. Col Haidar is our host and they've pulled out all the stops. A long table groans with platters of rice, lamb and fish.

But the Colonel seems preoccupied. One of his many mobile phones rings constantly.

Almost all his men are out guarding polling stations days ahead of the elections. He knows that even if there is no violence, this weekend is a test of the army's organisational skills.

He also allows himself a little nostalgia. He doesn't express any views on Saddam Hussein (and I'm not about to ask), but he's full of professional pride and he misses being part of a real army.

Back at the old navy base where 50 Brigade and our British transition team share spartan accommodation, most of the men are relaxing. There's physical training to perform, and perhaps a game of volleyball on a malodorous patch of dirt behind our building.

For the article on BBC Online click here

British say calm Iraq polls key to Basra investment - Reuters

By Mohammed Abbas

BASRA, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraq's elections this week will be a crucial test of whether the oil-rich but dilapidated city of Basra is ready for the international investment it desperately needs, British officials said.

Once overrun by gangs and militias vying for control of Iraq's second biggest city, Basra is now quite calm after Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ordered a military crackdown last year.
If the peace holds during provincial polls Saturday, it could mark a turning point for the city.
"The business world is looking quite closely at Basra now, and the elections," the British Consul General in Basra, Nigel Haywood, told Reuters.

"If they go well, that would be a big sign that Basra really is open for business. Obviously the converse may be true (but) the signs are very good at the moment," he added.

Under an agreement with Iraq, British combat troops stationed in Basra province will withdraw by July 31, six years after joining the U.S. invasion to topple Saddam Hussein. They have already pulled back from the city to the nearby airport.

Basra has Iraq's only ports, and most of Iraq's current oil production comes from oilfields in and around the province.

Yet it is strewn with rubbish and pools of sewage, and vast slums have mushroomed around the city. For years after the 2003 invasion, rampant kidnappings and killings kept investors away.
Basra residents say the local council, elected in Iraq's first provincial polls in 2005, has provided little.

A calm election will be key, the British military said.

"If they can get through the election and the Iraqi security forces can deliver a safe post-election scenario, then we can say Basra is stable, and resilient," British military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Dickie Winchester said.

The elections are being supervised and organized by Iraq, but the British are ready to provide support if asked. There are 4,100 British troops in Iraq, and a residual contingent will remain in the country to train local forces after July.

There have been no indications of a surge of violence before or after the polls, said Winchester.
"The security situation is good, it's improving all the time, and with a new provincial council, that should ensure future delivery of economic success," he said.

But one potential British investor said the new council must quickly prove it could deliver improvements after the vote.

"If there is no significant delivery. Then it will blow up," said the investor, who was on a research trip to Basra and declined to be named. "We're not out of the woods yet, we're in the thick of them."

Read the full article on Reuters by clicking here