Iraqi Elections Scheduled for January 30th

The timeline for the transfer of sovereignty in Iraq has planned to hold the election of a parliament to formulate the government and supervise preparation of the Constitution by January of 2005. In order to guarantee security during the elections, US and Iraqi military forces organized massive attacks on Samarra, Ramadi, Baquba, and Felluce (Fallujah), which were under insurgent control. Ongoing violence in the Sunni towns will make reportedly make it very difficult to hold elections in these regions. Sunni leaders have been calling on people to boycott the elections. Shiites, on the other hand, expect to take over administration of the country and have been insisting that the elections be held on time. Despite ongoing clashes across the nation, the Elections Commission has been implementing plans to identify parties and candidates planning to run in the elections. Iraqi television is continuing to run spots encouraging citizens to attend the first Iraqi elections since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.