Elections postponed

The Iraqi cabinet on Tuesday decided to postpone provincial elections in the Sunni provinces of Anbar and Nineveh for a maximum period of six months due to deterioration in security across the country, Iraqi television reported.

"The Council of Ministers decided in its regular session today to postpone the provincial elections of the councils in the provinces of Anbar and Nineveh for a maximum period of six months because of the security situation," al-Iraqia channel reported.

Earlier, the cabinet set April 20 as the date for the elections in 15 out of 18 provinces, as the other three provinces are part of the autonomous region of Kurdistan.

The provincial elections in the other thirteen provinces will be held as scheduled on April 20, the channel said, changing the earlier story of postponement of the elections all over the country.

AP-Xinhua