Iraqi expats cast their votes in B.C.

Iraqi expatriates living in British Columbia were given the chance to participate in a landmark election that took place in their home country over the weekend, which saw violence erupt at polling stations and dozens killed.

In Baghdad, insurgents armed with bombs and grenades attempted to intimidate locals from participating in the vote, which they see as a validation of the Shiite-led government and the American military presence.

Thirty-two people were killed by the time polls closed on Sunday night.

But amid the violence there was hope for a brighter future for Iraq, hope shared by many of the thousands of migrant Iraqis living in and around B.C.

Hasan Abood of the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq was manning a polling station set up at the Evergreen Cultural Centre in Coquitlam on Sunday, and said organizers were delighted at the wide turnout.

"I have been seeing many new faces," Abood said. "We have seen people from Seattle and Oregon, too. The closest polling station for them is California, so they have been coming all the way here to vote and then turning around and going home."

Roughly 6,200 candidates are competing for 325 seats in Iraq's new parliament. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is battling to return to power. He faces challenges from a coalition of mainly Shiite groups on one side and a secular alliance of Shiites and Sunnis on the other.

It was the second election held in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, and the first with polling stations in B.C. to accommodate the province's Iraqi population. During the last election in 2005, the closest Canadian polling station was in Calgary.

"There are over 15,000 Iraqis in Vancouver. For all of them who would like to voice their opinion, they now have that opportunity," Abood said.

The polling stations were open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday to Sunday.

Abood said there was mourning for those killed in Iraq over the weekend, but that the violence highlights the importance of casting a ballot.

"We live in a very different country. There is no violence here, thank God," he said. "We hope that in the future, the violence in Iraq will end and there will be no such thing as killing people just for voting in an election."