Campaign silence ordered in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- Election officials in Iraq issued orders for campaign silence Friday for the provincial elections as observers monitor the polls for the Saturday balloting.

The Independent High Electoral Commission of Iraq issued the orders first thing Friday morning, saying all campaigns must be silent ahead of the vote, the Voices of Iraq news agency reported.

The Saturday elections are seen as a referendum on emerging democracy in Iraq and a test for the current leadership as voters expressed frustration with political rivalries taking precedence over voter concerns.

U.N. special envoy to Iraq Staffan de Mistura said Thursday his offices dispatched some 400 observers to monitor polls. Apart from U.N. officials, VOI said there were 18,000 representatives from the various political parties monitoring election results in the southern Maysan province alone.

Meanwhile, government officials in the northern city of Mosul ordered a ban on all vehicle traffic Friday as the security situation is tense there.

Mosul is one of the remaining militant strongholds in Iraq. A provincial candidate was assassinated Thursday as Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki traveled throughout the region to call for high voter turnout.

There are 14,400 candidates vying for 440 seats in 14 of the 18 Iraqi provinces. The three Kurdish provinces and Kirkuk have postponed their elections.