Exiles dance in street as they cast their votes in Iraqi poll

[Batgirl]

Iraqi exiles have begun casting their ballots in historic free elections in their homeland.

Voters began queueing in London when the doors opened at 7am, but earlier, in other parts of the world the first votes were cast.


A voter in Amman proudly shows the voting ink on his finger

Exiles danced in the street as they cast their ballots at nine polling stations in Australia.

Turnout was high and some proudly displayed the blue ink on their fingers which proved that they had cast their ballots, calling it "a mark of freedom".

Polling station manager Rebwav Aziz, 38, the first Iraqi to cast a vote in the election, said: "The point is that if you want freedom you have to fight for it. I'm voting for democracy."

In contrast, security was tight at the Wembley Conference and Exhibition Centre in north London where by midday more than 1,000 people had voted.

Iraqis had travelled from Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Plymouth, Swansea, Cardiff, Bristol, Cambridge, Norwich and Southampton - one family even flew from Madrid, election officials said.

More than 15 coaches of voters are expected to arrive in London over the weekend.

One of the first to vote, Handren Marph, a 45-year-old Kurdish marketing consultant from Croydon, south London, said: "This is a fantastic feeling.

"I feel hope and fear - fear because freedom might not come back but hope because a new constitution may give us protection and opportunity for all.

"We were repressed under a regime which pushed people out because of fear of death.

"I think there is hope for the future now and this is a way of defeating terrorism in our country. People going to the polls is a real concrete step forward.''

Polling stations are also open in Manchester and Glasgow.

Stuart Poucher, head of the Out Of Country Voting (OCV) programme in Britain said: "We are very satisfied with the conduct of the election and we have had positive feedback from Iraqis."

But he admitted some would-be voters had been turned away because they were not registered.

About 30,000 voters are registered in the UK although it is estimated that this is about 20 per cent of those eligible.

Security was also tight around polling venues in Syria and Jordan with police cutting off traffic and setting up roadblocks.

Voters looked nervous and many Iraqi exiles did not register for fear of persecution both of themselves and families still living in Iraq, say election officials.

About 280,303 Iraqi expatriates in 14 countries expected to cast votes in the Jan 30 election.

Iraqis are voting for a president and a 275-member transitional National Assembly, which will later form the country's constitution.

Meanwhile insurgents in Iraq are continuing to carry out attacks in an attempt to derail the elections.

Four people died in a car bomb attack in southern Baghdad.

They say the elections are an American exercise.

Telegraph

[Grimmy]

That's gotta warm the heart of y'all that have done duty over there.