Iraqi candidates quit after threats
Friday 21 January 2005, 16:57 Makka Time, 13:57 GMT
US forces hope to quell violence before the election
Dozens of candidates in the Assembly of Independents party have withdrawn from Iraq's upcoming election after death threats, the party's chairman Saad Salah Isa al-Juburi said in Tikrit.
The 41 candidates of the party's list withdrew en masse from the regional election in the province of Salahaddin "after they were threatened by specific groups", al-Juburi said on Friday.
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Access to media
Meanwhile, candidates from smaller parties criticised the use of state media by members of the transitional government while smaller parties and independents have had little media access.
Aziz al-Yassiri, the chairman of the Iraqi Democratic Trend, accused the members of the government of using their offices to create unfair advantages for themselves in the campaign.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/BC15B4C7-B006-41BC-8EA6-D2E0CDFBD264.htm