Iraqis living abroad began casting ballots in their homeland's crucial parliamentary elections Friday, a constituency Iraq's Sunni Arab minority hope will boost their showing. Thousands stood in lines at polling stations in Syria and Jordan, home to the largest Iraqi expatriate communities. Voting was also being held in more than a dozen other countries around the world, from Australia to the United States. The United Nations refugee agency estimates that around 2 million Iraqis are living abroad – the majority of whom fled violence following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. A large proportion of those – particularly in Jordan and Syria – are Sunni Arabs who fled the fierce wave of sectarian killings at the height of the Iraq war. That has made their votes a major focus of attention for Sunni leaders in Iraq, who are hoping a strong turnout among their community will counterbalance a strong vote among the Shiite majority for their own religious parties. Voting abroad will be held for three days, while in Iraq most voters go to the polls Sunday, choosing a 325-seat legislature. The largest bloc in parliament will try to put together a government to lead Iraq for four key years as US troops withdraw. In Jordan, a Sunni tribal leader from the western Iraqi province of Anbar, Saad Al-Hardan, warned that after the Americans leave, Iran will try to dominate Iraq - a common fear among Sunnis because of the deep ties between Iraqi Shiite parties and Tehran. “The US occupation will end, but the Iranian one is there to stay. The Iranian influence is significant in parliament and in the government,” he said. Many of those voting in Jordan said they wanted liberal and secular politicians to take over from Shiite Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki, who many Sunni Muslims accuse of isolating Sunnis and giving Iran the upper hand in Iraq. Voting is also starting Friday in the United States, Canada, Australia, Austria, Sweden, Germany, Britain, Denmark, Holland, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Turkey.
