Two parties linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) are unlikely to be barred from this weekend's election in Iraq, an official from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), which oversees Iraqi expatriate voting, said.

A suicide car bomber attacked an office of a major Kurdish party Wednesday, killing or injuring at least 20 people, an official of the Kurdistan Democratic Party said. (AP)

Election security chiefs in Iraq will set up decoy polling centres in an attempt to outwit insurgents who have vowed to target voters with suicide bombs and mortar rounds on Sunday. (scotsman.com)

BBC: Arab pessimism over Iraqi elections

Already under heavy US pressure, the elections in Iraq pose a strategic headache for Damascus and could bolster a pro-Western enemy or decentralise a neighbour capable of destabilising Syria. (AFP)

Women gain attention in Iraqi elections (CNN)

The BBC asks six commentators what effect they thought the elections would have.

The final total of Iraqi expatriates to have registered to vote in that country's elections is 280,303 - less than a quarter of those eligible, organizers said Wednesday. (AP)