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GENEVA (AP) -- The final total of Iraqi
expatriates to have registered to vote in that
country's elections is 280,303 - less than a quarter
of those eligible, organizers said Wednesday.
The Geneva-based International Organization for
Migration, which ran the registration process that
finished Tuesday, said it was satisfied that it had
run a smooth registration process and stressed that
the low number registering would not affect the
legitimacy of the vote.
"With no registration data available in advance,
this was a baseline exercise to establish the level
of interest for an out-of-country vote," said Peter
Erben, head of the IOM program.
"Registration ran effectively in all countries, and
we extended opening hours and the registration
period itself to ensure that everyone who wished to
participate would be able to."
© 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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