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Listen to an interview with Dahr Jamail, an independent journalist based in Baghdad, who offers his perspectives on the upcoming Iraqi elections. On the eve of the elections, taking place under the ongoing U.S. lead, internationally condemned military occupation, many are calling to question if free and fair elections can occur under military occupation.

With approximately 7,700 mostly unnamed candidates on the lists of 83 coalitions of political parties, each elections voting list contains between 83 and 275 candidates. The "Candidates" lists have names such as "The Security and Stability List", "The Security and Justice List" and the "Iraq List". Ayad Allawi the U.S. backed and appointed current Prime Minister of Iraq is a member of a list running under the slogan 'For a strong, secure, prosperous, democratic and unified Iraq'. Most candidate lists do not mention the occupation of Iraq.

-> To view written and visual reports from occupied Iraq from Dahr Jamail visit: http://dahrjamailiraq.com/