Attacks including a series of suicide attacks killed 57 people on Monday as soldiers and policemen cast their votes in Iraq´s first parliamentary election since US troops withdrew.
The bombings in Baghdad and the north and west raised serious concerns about the security forces´ ability to protect ordinary voters on Wednesday, when more than 20 million are eligible to cast ballots.
The latest attacks come amid a protracted surge in violence and fears the country is slipping back into the all-out sectarian fighting that claimed tens of thousands of lives in 2006 and 2007.
Nine attackers wearing suicide belts mostly targeted polling stations in Baghdad and cities north of the capital, while roadside bombs struck military convoys and targeted journalists covering the election.
