Iraqis defy militants as 36 killed while voting

INSURGENTS bombed a polling station and lobbed grenades at voters yesterday, killing 36 people in attacks aimed at intimidating those taking part in an election that will determine whether the country can overcome the sectarian divisions that have plagued it since the 2003 US-led invasion.

Many Iraqis hope the election will put them on a path toward national reconciliation as the US prepares to withdraw combat forces by late summer and all troops by the end of next year.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is fighting for his political future with challenges from a coalition of mainly Shi’ite religious groups on one side and a secular alliance combining Shi’ites and Sunnis on the other.