AMMAN, Jan 20 (AFP) - The organisers of Iraq's expatriate voter registration decided to extend the opening hours from Thursday as the week-long process ahead of the landmark elections struggled to attract participants.
"Opening hours have been extended for all 74 registration centers in all 14 countries" by two hours, said the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) tasked with the expatriate vote by Iraq's electoral commission.
From Thursday and until registration ends on Sunday, centers in 36 cities across North America, Western Europe, the Middle East and Australia will be open from 8:00 am until 19:00 pm local times, instead of 17:00 pm, it said.
"This will allow the elderly, working people and those taking care of families more flexibility ... especially during the Eid holidays," the head of the Jordan-based out-of-country vote programme Peter Erben said.
Thursday marks the start of Eid Al-Adha, the Feast of the Sacrifice, Islam's most important holiday, with festivities lasting in most countries until Sunday.
The Geneva-based IOM had said it expected up to a million Iraqi expatriates to register to vote from January 28 to 30 in the election for a transitional 275-seat national assembly tasked with drawing up a new constitution.
But only 41,391 Iraqi expatriates in 14 countries registered to vote on the first two days of registration, according to figures released Wednesday by the organisers.
"This is an historic election for Iraqis everywhere and we hope that a significant number of expatriate Iraqis will take the opportunity to register and vote," Erben said in the latest IOM statement.
Voting will take place in Australia, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Iran, the Netherlands, Sweden, Syria, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, United States and Jordan.
Their compatriots in Iraq will go to the polls on January 30 and will also elect 18 provincial councils and a Kurdish regional parliament.
01/20/2005 08:43 GMT - AFP