Iraq ramped up security on Friday on the eve of its first election since US troops left, as attacks, including a bombing at a Baghdad cafe, killed 37 people in a spike in unrest before polling day.
The deadly violence just before Saturday’s provincial election raises further questions about the credibility of the polls, with 14 candidates killed and a third of Iraq's provinces, all of them mainly Sunni Arab or Kurdish, not even voting.
The election is seen as a key test of Iraq's stability and security, and will provide a gauge of the popularity of the Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ahead of a general election next year.
But attacks on Thursday and Friday that left 37 dead increased concerns about the ability of Iraqi forces to assure security for the polls.
The deadly violence just before Saturday’s provincial election raises further questions about the credibility of the polls, with 14 candidates killed and a third of Iraq's provinces, all of them mainly Sunni Arab or Kurdish, not even voting.
The election is seen as a key test of Iraq's stability and security, and will provide a gauge of the popularity of the Shiite-led government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki ahead of a general election next year.
But attacks on Thursday and Friday that left 37 dead increased concerns about the ability of Iraqi forces to assure security for the polls.