Abdul Munim Jabber Hadi, a Communist Party candidate for Baghdads provincial council, campaigns with volunteers in the capitals Shorja market. (Raheem Salman / Los Angeles Times)
Candidate Zainab Sadiq Jaffer, left, of the Iraqi National List coalition speaks with a voter while handing out leaflets in Basra, southern Iraq. (Essam al-Sudani / AFP/Getty Images)
An Iraqi official tallies a shipment of paper ballots at Baghdads international airport. Elections for provincial councils are scheduled for Jan. 31. (Wathiq Khuzaie / AFP/Getty Images)
Political posters plaster a wall in the capital in the campaign for local elections to be held this month. This poll and a national vote in December are expected to help clarify Iraqs political order, for better or worse. (Ali Yussef / AFP/Getty Images)
