parliamentary elections

Parliamentary elections Sunday in Iraq will not only decide who will run the country and test its nascent democracy.

The outcome could affect the U.S. role as it begins its phased exit of 100,000 American troops. The Obama administration has pledged to withdraw most U.S. combat troops by the end of August and have the rest of them out by the end of next year.

In upcoming Iraqi parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's coalition faces stiff competition from an alliance of Shiite religious parties with backing from Iran.

Some Iraqis are starting to view the election as a referendum on how secular Iraq's next government will be.

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