BAGHDAD, Nov 21: The first elections in Iraq since the downfall of Saddam Hussein last year will be held on Jan 30, the election commission announced on Sunday , even as US and Iraqi forces engage in bloody battles with insurgents who have vowed to disrupt the polls.

"The electoral commission has unanimously decided to consider January 30 as the date for the elections," commission chairman Abdel Hussein al-Hindawi told reporters in Baghdad.

It will be the first multi-party election in decades, with 126 parties and individuals out of 198 applicants already approved to run in the polls to choose a national assembly, a regional parliament for the Kurdish north and 18 provincial councils.

Monday is the last day for political entities to apply to participate in the polls. Candidate lists for approved parties must be submitted by November 23 in the provinces, while that deadline will be extended to November 30 in Baghdad, he said. Campaigning will begin on Dec 15 and must wrap up 48 hours before the vote. -AFP