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NAJAF, Iraq (AFP) - Delaying the Iraqi general elections scheduled for January 30 would be "unacceptable" to the religious leaders of the majority Shiite community, one of their spokesmen said.
"The Marajiy (religious Shiite leaders in Najaf) think a postponement of the elections would be unacceptable," Mohammed Hussein al-Hakim told reporters.
"The date of the elections can no longer be questioned, the issue has been decided," said the spokesman, who is also the son of Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Said al-Hakim.
He said he was speaking in the name of all four leaders of the Marjaiya, which includes the influential Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the highest Shiite authority in Iraq .
On Friday, several leading political parties had demanded the January 30 polls be postponed by six months to allow for security conditions to improve.
But on Saturday, Iraq's electoral commission ruled out a delay, while the Iraqi government as well as the United States said they were determined to hold the landmark elections as planned.
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