Polls open in Iraq’s general elections amid tight security

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA
Associated Press

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqis are electing a new parliament that many hope will deliver much needed reforms after decades of conflict and mismanagement. The vote was brought forward by six months in response to a popular uprising in the capital Baghdad and southern provinces in late 2019. Polls opened Sunday at 0400 GMT nationwide amid tight security. More than 250,000 security personnel across the country were tasked with protecting the vote. But for the first time in decades, no curfew was imposed, reflecting improved security in the country in recent years. The election is the sixth since the U.S.-led invasion 2003 invasion that toppled Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.