Top Shiite cleric urges Iraqis to vote

Iraq's most powerful Shiite cleric appealed to his countrymen yesterday to go to the polls in this month's elections but, in a bid to distance himself from religious parties, emphasized he was not supporting any particular candidates. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani enjoys massive support among Iraq's majority Shiites, and his statement seemed designed to foil persistent attempts by the largest Shiite party -- the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council -- to give the impression that it has his backing. "The religious leadership stands an equal distance away from all candidates in these elections, but it stresses at the same time that voters must, after thorough checks and examination, choose those who are worthy of becoming members of provincial councils," the Iranian-born al-Sistani said. Provincial councils manage the day-to-day affairs of Iraq's provinces. When the current members were chosen in 2005, the minority Sunnis largely boycotted elections. New councils with a more equitable distribution of seats representing society's makeup are considered a vital step in restoring political stability to the country. Iraqis are set to choose members of ruling councils in 14 of Iraq's 18 provinces on Jan. 31. More than 14,000 candidates are running for 444 council seats. Iraqi Kurds have delayed the balloting in the three provinces of their self-ruled region. The U.S. military has warned that insurgents are expected to step up attacks in the days before and after the Jan. 31 vote. Already, sporadic elections-related violence has been reported. A roadside bomb struck a crew of Iraqis putting up posters for a Shiite candidate late Sunday in eastern Baghdad, wounding eight people. Latif Abu Mohammed, a 37-year-old construction worker who was injured in the attack, said his crew had been waiting until nightfall to put up campaign posters to avoid being spotted by rival parties. "We are construction workers hired by a candidate to put his portraits on walls. We have nothing to do with politics," said Abu Mohammed. In violence yesterday, a bomb attached to a car exploded in a mainly Shiite neighborhood in Baghdad. A police officer who was on his way to work at a passport office was killed and seven people were wounded, police and hospital officials said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.