Polling began at 07:00 local time and closes at 18:00.

 

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is hoping to win a third term in office amid a growing insurgency¹（叛乱） in the west of the country.

 

Iraq is experiencing its worst unrest since 2008, with 160 people killed in the past week alone.

 

Some 22 million Iraqis are registered to vote, with almost 50,000 polling stations open across the country.

 

The BBC's Quentin Sommerville in Baghdad says the streets of the capital are almost empty because it is in lockdown.

 

He says that many of the voters will have to go on foot - the authorities have banned cars for the day in an effort to stop suicide attacks and car bombers². 

 

Some voters face multiple searches before being allowed into polling stations.

 

Baghdad voter Essam Shukr, whose son died in a suicide bombing last month, told Associated Press: "We want a better life for our sons and grandchildren who cannot even go to playing areas or amusement parks because of the bad security situation. We want a better life for all Iraqis."

点击收听单词发音