January 04, 2005
by D.L. McCracken

Canadian officials are preparing polling stations for Iraqi expatriates in Canada to vote in their homeland's elections scheduled for January 30.The exact locations of the registration and polling centres have not yet been announced.

Approximately 30,000 Iraqis currently live in Canada but the number of eligible voters will not be known until registration according to the International Organization of Migration's spokesperson, Claire Trevena.

Iraqis who are over 18 and hold Canadian documents showing they were born in Iraq, have Iraqi citizenship papers or other accepted documents are eligible to vote. Voting will take place over three days, from January 28 to 30.

Security surrounding the vote here will be ''paramount,''Trevena said.The International Organization of Migration will be working closely with federal and provincial police agencies to ensure a smooth process.

Canada is one of 14 countries to participate in this out-of-country Iraqi vote program within its borders. The IOM project is expected to cost $92 million.