About 280,000 people in 14 countries - from Australia, the Middle East, Europe and North America - may take part.

Insurgents have urged voters to boycott the poll, and the tempo of violence appears to be increasing, says the BBC's Paul Wood in Baghdad.

On Friday four civilians died in a car bomb blast in the capital - one of several attacks across the country.

Strict security measures are coming into force - beginning with a curfew on Friday evening and other restrictions lasting three days around Sunday's election.

These include closing Iraq's borders, the Baghdad international airport and the banning of civilian vehicles on election day.

A US general in Iraq has been quoted as saying that the multinational force will expand its combat power on the streets by one third to try to make the elections safe.

Sunday's vote will be supervised by as many as 120 international monitors, with a number of foreign embassies providing staff to act as monitors, too.

In other developments:

• Supporters of the al-Qaeda leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, post a message on an Islamic web bulletin board, saying they have killed one of the candidates on Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's list and will show the video later on the internet

• President George W Bush tells the New York Times that US troops will be pulled out of Iraq if asked to do so by the government which emerges from the election, but that he expects them to remain.

'Voting for democracy'

About 12,000 Iraqis registered to vote in Australia - only about 15% of the estimated 80,000 eligible expatriates.

This relatively low voter registration has largely been reflected across the world. Of an estimated one million eligible Iraqi expatriate voters, approximately 280,000 are actually registered.

Some decided not to participate amid fears of possible persecution against themselves and their relatives still living in Iraq, community leaders say. Some voters also have to travel great distances to have their say.

Some expatriate Iraqis feel that they are not in a position to vote because they do not live in Iraq. Others that voting in some way legitimises the US-led occupation of Iraq.

Among the first Iraqi expatriates to vote in Sydney was Rebwav Aziz, 38, who has lived in Australia for more than a decade.

"If you want freedom you have to fight for it. I'm voting for democracy," he said after casting his ballot.

In the Iranian capital, Tehran, Saja Verdi, 26 said: "It's a very happy day for me, I am happier than on my wedding day."

Iraqi nationals are also voting in Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Syria, Turkey, the United States, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden.

The expatriate vote is running from Friday to Sunday.

Sunni insurgents told Iraqis on Thursday to boycott the polls, a day after President Bush urged voters to "defy the terrorists".

The minority Sunni community dominated Iraqi politics during the regime of Saddam Hussein. But the election is expected to lead to a power shift in favour of majority Shia Muslims.

The violence has led to many candidates campaigning without revealing their names.

Our correspondent, who accompanied two candidates campaigning in Baghdad, says people are taking the threats seriously.

In many places, insurgents carried out mortar, rocket and bomb attacks against polling centres.

For this reason the location of most polling stations remain secret, even as the ballot boxes are distributed by the security forces, our correspondent says.

About 280,000 people in 14 countries - from Australia, the Middle East, Europe and North America - may take part.

Insurgents have urged voters to boycott the poll, and the tempo of violence appears to be increasing, says the BBC's Paul Wood in Baghdad.

On Friday four civilians died in a car bomb blast in the capital - one of several attacks across the country.

Strict security measures are coming into force - beginning with a curfew on Friday evening and other restrictions lasting three days around Sunday's election.

These include closing Iraq's borders, the Baghdad international airport and the banning of civilian vehicles on election day.

A US general in Iraq has been quoted as saying that the multinational force will expand its combat power on the streets by one third to try to make the elections safe.

Sunday's vote will be supervised by as many as 120 international monitors, with a number of foreign embassies providing staff to act as monitors, too.

In other developments:

• Supporters of the al-Qaeda leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, post a message on an Islamic web bulletin board, saying they have killed one of the candidates on Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's list and will show the video later on the internet

• President George W Bush tells the New York Times that US troops will be pulled out of Iraq if asked to do so by the government which emerges from the election, but that he expects them to remain.

'Voting for democracy'

About 12,000 Iraqis registered to vote in Australia - only about 15% of the estimated 80,000 eligible expatriates.

This relatively low voter registration has largely been reflected across the world. Of an estimated one million eligible Iraqi expatriate voters, approximately 280,000 are actually registered.

Some decided not to participate amid fears of possible persecution against themselves and their relatives still living in Iraq, community leaders say. Some voters also have to travel great distances to have their say.

Some expatriate Iraqis feel that they are not in a position to vote because they do not live in Iraq. Others that voting in some way legitimises the US-led occupation of Iraq.

Among the first Iraqi expatriates to vote in Sydney was Rebwav Aziz, 38, who has lived in Australia for more than a decade.

"If you want freedom you have to fight for it. I'm voting for democracy," he said after casting his ballot.

In the Iranian capital, Tehran, Saja Verdi, 26 said: "It's a very happy day for me, I am happier than on my wedding day."

Iraqi nationals are also voting in Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Syria, Turkey, the United States, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden.

The expatriate vote is running from Friday to Sunday.

Sunni insurgents told Iraqis on Thursday to boycott the polls, a day after President Bush urged voters to "defy the terrorists".

The minority Sunni community dominated Iraqi politics during the regime of Saddam Hussein. But the election is expected to lead to a power shift in favour of majority Shia Muslims.

The violence has led to many candidates campaigning without revealing their names.

Our correspondent, who accompanied two candidates campaigning in Baghdad, says people are taking the threats seriously.

In many places, insurgents carried out mortar, rocket and bomb attacks against polling centres.

For this reason the location of most polling stations remain secret, even as the ballot boxes are distributed by the security forces, our correspondent says.