More than 255,000 expat Iraqis register to vote in elections

AMMAN, Jan 25 (AFP) - More than 255,000 expatriate Iraqis have registered to vote in Sunday's elections, a quarter of the one million initially expected, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said Tuesday.
"The last figures released by end of Monday was 255,611 worldwide," said IOM spokeswoman Sarah Tosh in Amman.
The highest registration figure was in Iran where 53,000 Iraqis signed up during the week-long process, which was extended by 48 hours and was ending Tuesday at 7:00 pm local time in 14 countries.
"We are expecting (registration) to be the way it has been, there will be a little flux given that it's the last day, but we are not expecting anything dramatic," Tosh added of the poor turnout in the participating countries.
Expatriates will vote for Iraq's national assembly between January 28 and 30, and on January 30 in Iraq itself.
Registration has taken place in 36 cities across Australia, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Iran, Jordan, the Netherlands, Sweden, Syria, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and United States.

01/25/2005 16:33 GMT - AFP