In the wake of so much violence, especially targeted at Christians, who are perceived as part of the ‘Western Imperial Force,’ it is not surprising that Prime Minister Alawi had to admit today that voting would be too hazardous in some areas of the war torn country. The article below notes the hazardous conditions and how Christians have much to loose in Iraq’s elections.

(The Christian Post) – Some areas of Iraq will probably be too unsafe to take part in the Jan. 30 elections, Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said Tuesday in his first acknowledgment of limited voting. The Jan. 30 national elections, Iraq ’s first, will determine a 275-member assembly that will appoint a government and draft a constitution. Many Christians are hoping that Iraq will become a democratic and free secular state. However, now as Christians are only a sliver of Iraq ‘s population after a string of church bombings in recent months prompted Christians to flee the country, church leaders fear the ongoing exodus could make it difficult for Iraq to develop into a nation that values religious pluralism and tolerance.
“That’s really the goal of the terrorists—to drive out the Christian community which numbers about 500-thousand from Iraq, so that when they’re making a new government, they will not have any Christians to share the government with or give religious freedom,” said Jerry Dykstra of U.S.-based Open Doors a few weeks after the United States formally handed sovereignty to Iraqi officials on June 28.

http://www.christianpost.com/article/africa/318/section/hostile.forces.in.iraq.make.voting.unsafe.in.areas/1.htm