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Iraqi candidates overwhelm Baghdad with posters

As Iraq prepares for parliamentary elections at the end of this month, residents have complained about the excess of electoral posters, and some parties are accused of using government resources in their campaigns.
A traffic police officer directs vehicles near election campaign posters in Baghdad April 3, 2014. Iraq's parliamentary election is scheduled for later this month. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) - RTR3JUU9

Baghdad residents recently woke up to find their neighborhoods filled with electoral ads for parliamentary candidates in the elections set to take place on April 30. Those ads, which vary in size, dominate public squares, parks, electricity poles and benches at bus stops. This has infuriated some residents who claim that the ads have defaced the Iraqi capital.

In central Baghdad’s Karada district, posters covered the square adorned with the magic lantern statue by the well-known sculptor Mohammed Ghani Hikmat. While in Liberation Square, which overlooks several ministries, the candidates not only displayed their pictures but also put up banners along the fence showing their photos and biographies.

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