An Iraqi election primer

Iraq's last election was organized as a single district, which meant that low turnout in Sunni Arab bastions like Anbar Province meant they ended up with no representatives.

This time, the three Sunni- dominated provinces (Anbar, Nineveh, and Salaheddin) are guaranteed 36 seats (13 percent of the total), which makes turnout much less important.

Sunni Arab politicians, opposed to the recently passed Constitution and the US presence in Iraq, should end up with at least 10 percent and as much as 18 percent of parliament.

The IRI poll shows how differently Sunnis and Shiites see Iraq at the moment. In the mostly Sunni Arab province of Salaheddin, 89 percent of respondents said Iraq is headed in the wrong direction. In the Shiite Arab stronghold of Najaf, 68 percent said the country is headed in the right direction.

After the parliamentary election results are announced (tallying the vote will probably take weeks), a president is to be selected with a two-thirds vote in the legislature. But if the assembly deadlocks and a president is unable to get enough votes, the decision will then be put to a simple majority vote.

The president then appoints a prime minister, who names his cabinet. The new government will need a simple majority vote of confidence.

After the last election, rules that required a two-thirds majority to form the government led to a squabbling and a four-month delay in naming the government. This time, the process is more streamlined, though substantial delays are possible.

Shiite Islamists are the only group likely to hold a simple majority. Even if they hold 50 percent of parliament, their leaders say they are aware that forcing their will on their rivals could lead to even more violence and ineffective government.

Security measures are among the tightest for any election in human history.

All car traffic is banned and Iraq's borders have been sealed, which has significantly reduced violence in the run-up to the poll. In some parts of Anbar Province, polling places will be guarded by Marines, but in most of the country Iraqi police and soldiers will be patting down voters to prevent suicide bombers from getting into polling places. There are about 6,500 polling locations.

Iraq's Constitution is imprecise on a number of contentious issues, and the Sunni Arabs in particular will push to amend the document. Most of the disputes center on how Iraq's oil wealth will be shared between the center and the country's diverse regions.

The parliament will almost certainly debate asking for a US withdrawal when it sits - something that polls show most Iraqis support.

Finally, the new government will have to make progress on ending the war if it's to maintain public support.

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