Top Sunni party to boycott Iraq elections

"We are obliged to pull out," party chief Mohsen Abdel Hamid told reporters in Baghdad, saying the decision was motivated by the refusal of authorities to postpone elections for six months to ensure broader participation.

"Our party asked on December 5 that elections be delayed for six months using reasonable arguments," he said referring to the worsening security situation in the country in the run-up to the January 30 vote.

"The authorities concerned have refused to hear the voice of reason."