Najaf keeps count by candlelight

Vote-counting began by candelight in Iraq8217;s Shia shrine city Najaf on Sunday after the faithful had packed the polls in response to an ...

Vote-counting began by candelight in Iraq8217;s Shia shrine city Najaf on Sunday after the faithful had packed the polls in response to an edict from their spiritual leader.

Six electoral officials sat on the floor of a classroom at Akkadh middle school unfolding ballot papers as candles flickered. They sorted the ballots into neat piles, while two observers from competing parties watched hawk-eyed.

Electricity shortages continue to plague Iraq, 22 months after the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. There were no independent Iraqi monitors to view the Najaf count, let alone international observers.

8216;8216;We should finish counting today, God willing,8217;8217; Haider Cheychan said. 8216;8216;Then the results go to the local Commission, which sends them to Baghdad. We do not announce any results.8217;8217;

The Electoral Commission in Baghdad, which organised the election, has said it could take 10 days to tally final results in Iraq8217;s historic poll, including voting by Iraqis abroad.

But the likely outcome of the country8217;s first multi-party election in 50 years should be apparent within days, analysts say, predicting a victory for Iraq8217;s long-oppressed Shiites.

The streets of Najaf emptied as night fall and poll workers began the painstaking task of counting votes after a hectic day helping eager first-time voters.

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Najaf residents turned out in force, many choosing a slate led by Shia Muslims that was drawn up under the auspices of Iraq8217;s most revered cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

Sistani had issued a religious edict ordering his followers to vote in an election expected to consolidate power for the Shias, who form about 60 percent of Iraq8217;s population.

In contrast to Baghdad and many Sunni areas to the north and west of the capital, where fear and election-day attacks deterred some voters, voting in Najaf was trouble-free.

8216;8216;We estimate 85 to 90 pc participated in the elections in Najaf, according to our registers so far,8217;8217; Bushra Khadem, who heads the Electoral Commission in Najaf, said about an hour before polls closed.

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Electoral Commission officials in Baghdad later said they believed about 8 million Iraqis, or around 60 percent of registered voters, had cast ballots, but had no firm figures.