Fear of insurgents turns Iraqi polls into a hush-hush affair

Iraq's first post-Saddam Hussein elections were meant to mark an outburst of democracy. But the January 30 vote was prepared like a covert operation, with the fear of rebel attacks veiling the vote in an uncanny secrecy.

Colonel Dana Pittard, who heads the US army contingent in the strife-torn town of Baquba north of Baghdad, explained that the military had offered to facilitate television appearances for the local candidates.

"Initially, candidates' voices are on television, but they're not going on camera," he said.

The stage fright pays testament to the rampant fears in Diyala province where seven council members have been assassinated since April and the governor has survived multiple attempts on his life.

In Baquba and many other violence-wracked areas, including neighbourhoods of the capital, violent death at the hands of insurgents fiercely opposed to democratic polls can be the instant reward for voters, candidates and security forces alike.

The Iraqi government and United States have remained adamant throughout the country's political transition that the historic vote should be held, at any cost, at the scheduled date.