Minister: Iraq Not Secure Enough for Elections [View All]

[Barrett808]

BAGHDAD, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraq's interim interior minister said Monday the country was not secure enough to hold early direct elections.

"We ask for this matter to be postponed, even if it is for a short time, until all the political and security preparations can ensure that elections can run in a free and stable manner," Nouri Badran told a news conference.

Iraq's postwar political arena has heated up since the top Shi'ite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, called for direct elections, challenging an American plan for transferring power by July.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is currently deciding whether to send a mission to Iraq to decide on the feasibility of holding early elections.

The country's volatile sects are vying for power against the background of a bloody insurgency against U.S. troops and their allies.

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