Iraq Election Campaigning Begins Amid Controversy

Campaigning began Saturday for Iraqi parliamentary elections with some candidates embroiled in controversy after aides pulled down pictures of fighters killed in combat with militants and replaced them with their own posters.

Baghdad, Iraq, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 14th Apr, 2018 ) :Campaigning began Saturday for Iraqi parliamentary elections with some candidates embroiled in controversy after aides pulled down pictures of fighters killed in combat with militants and replaced them with their own posters.

Around 7,000 candidates have registered to stand in the May 12 poll, with 329 parliamentary seats up for grabs.

As the clock struck midnight on Friday, volunteer workers spread across the country to put up posters of the candidates, AFP reporters said.

"At midnight sharp, they began pulling down pictures of the martyrs and replaced them with posters of the thieves," said Baghdad resident Settar Tourki. Martyrs refer to the thousands of government forces and allied militiamen killed fighting to push back the Islamic State group after the militants launched a sweeping offensive in 2014.