Iraqis keenly monitor progress of US polls

Baghdad: Politicians and ordinary citizens in Iraqi cities are closely monitoring the US elections.

"We are monitoring the election by tuning into various satellite channels as it is very important for the Iraqis. We believe that Obama will beat McCain," Rasim Al Awadi, a member of the Iraqi parliament told Gulf News.

Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki has appointed a special team to follow up on the US election and inform him periodically about the results.

"This is the first time that the US elections are as important in Iraq as they are in the United States, Saadi Al Barazanji, a Kurdish leader in the Iraqi parliament said.

Net cafes are packed, as the young follow the polls through websites. "I come here to do homework, but today I'm only focussing on following the news of the US elections," Bassem Al Samarrai, a student at the University of Technology in Baghdad told Gulf News.