BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqis voted on Wednesday in their first national election since U.S. forces withdrew in 2011, with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki seeking a third term amid rising violence. Iraq's western province of Anbar is torn by fighting as Sunni Muslim militants battle the Iraqi military. Its economy is struggling and Maliki faces criticism that he is aggravating sectarian splits and trying to consolidate power. Polls opened at 7 a.m. (5.00 a.m. BST), with a vehicle curfew in Baghdad. Voters are choosing from among 9,012 candidates and the parliamentary election will effectively serve as a referendum on Maliki, a Shi'ite Muslim who has governed for eight years.
The elections went off in central Iraq and the south with few hitches by mid-day, while turnout was low in Sunni regions, where residents are often afraid of the security forces and al Qaeda inspired militants.
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