Iraqi government bans pictures in vote

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The ban primarily affects Shiite religious parties such as themovement of anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr that use images ofclerics in campaign posters. The government also banned candidatesfrom campaigning in mosques or other places of worship.
Shiite politicians flooded the country with posters of thecountry's main Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, andothers during elections in 2005, capitalizing on their prestige towin power.
That led to a backlash among other religious groups and moresecular-minded Shiites alarmed over clerical influence in Iraqisociety.
The ban is likely to have the greatest impact on al-Sadr, who hasbuilt a large following among disgruntled Shiites in Baghdad andsouthern Iraq who haven't benefited from the rise of a Shiite-ledgovernment in the country.
Pictures of al-Sadr, who comes from one of Iraq's most esteemedShiite families, line the streets of places like Baghdad's SadrCity.
The elections will choose governing councils in Iraq's 18 provincesand are seen as a key step in repairing the country's sectarianrifts. The councils have gained power since the first round ofelections from specific provisions in the constitution, whichwasn't yet ratified by January 2005.
Al-Sadr's followers hope to use this fall's provincial councilballoting to loosen the grip on power that their Shiite rivals haveenjoyed since the 2005 elections, which the Sadrists boycotted.
The group does not plan to run a separate list of Sadristcandidates, but will instead have them join other tickets andrepresent the movement on an individual basis.
They could benefit from the Iraqi government's decision Tuesday torun provincial elections according to an open-list system, allowingvoters to choose individual candidates rather than simply picking aparty.
Many voters criticized the government's decision to run the firstprovincial elections with a closed-list system, possibly pushingthem to make Tuesday's change.
The Sadrists now believe the 2005 boycott was a major politicalblunder, enabling Shiite parties that have cooperated with theAmericans to wield power in the oil-rich Shiite heartland.
For months, the Sadrists have been complaining that their Shiitepolitical rivals in the government have been targeting theirmovement ahead of upcoming elections, arresting many of theirfollowers under the pretext of security crackdowns.
Most Sunnis also boycotted the 2005 balloting, enabling Shiites andKurds to win a disproportionate share of power, even in areas witha substantial Sunni population.
The Sunnis are fully participating in the new round of electionsand could benefit from the Iraqi government's decision Tuesday toallow internally displaced Iraqis to vote. More than two millionIraqis have been displaced inside the country by violence, most ofthem Sunnis.
The vote is scheduled to be held by October, but there isconsiderable uncertainty whether it will happen on time becauseparliament has not approved a new law providing for the elections.