Election posters adorn Baghdad

Campaigning for Iraq's April 30 general election opened on Tuesday, with Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki bidding for a third term as his government grapples with the country's worst bloodshed in years. Posters have gone up across Baghdad and around the country as candidates vie for one of 328 parliamentary seats. No single party is expected to win an absolute majority and previous elections have seen lengthy periods of government formation. Though not officially confirmed, the vote appears unlikely to take place throughout the western desert province of Anbar, which has been wracked by violence since the beginning of the year, with militants holding control of an entire town on Baghdad's doorstep, according to AFP.