Iraqis abroad begin voting

Iraqis living abroad are starting to cast their ballots in their homeland's crucial parliamentary elections. Voting has begun in Syria and Lebanon, and several other countries.

An Iraqi woman, casts her vote at a polling center in Beirut, Lebanon, on Friday March 5, 2010. Iraqis living abroad have began casting  ballots in their homeland's crucial parliamentary elections. The  United Nations refugee agency estimates that around 2 million Iraqis are living abroad after fleeing since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)

In Lebanon, thousands of Iraqis cast an early vote on Friday. Voting will continue until Sunday in five polling stations in Beirut and across the country.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees says there are almost 50 thousand Iraqis in Lebanon. Most of them fled Iraq following the 2003 US-Iraq war and the turmoil that followed. Voters hope their country's future will improve after the elections. In Syria, home to the largest Iraqi expatriate community, more than 100 thousand Iraqis will start voting from Friday to Sunday.