Bombs kill 30 in Baghdad, Sadr movement holds 'referendum'

Three deadly bombings in the Iraqi capital Baghdad have killed at least 30 people and wounded 224 others, police sources told Al Jazeera.  Police sources said all three blasts were car bombs set off by suicide attackers. A security offcial said on local television that the attacks were aimed at the Egyptian and Iranian embassies, adding that the third may have targeted the residence of the German ambassador.

The blasts on Sunday were the first major explosions to shake the capital in recent weeks, following Iraq's election on March 7. However, an attack in the early hours of Saturday left 25 people deadin the village of Albusaifi just to the south of the capital, while mortars were fired on the heavily fortified Green Zone later in the day. The killers were apparently Sunni extemists, the killed belonged to the Subur tribe, which has joined the pro-American so called 'Sons of Iraq' forces. The killing might be a forbode of what will happen when the American forces withdraw.
The fresh wave of attacks in and around the capital come at a time of political uncertaintyfor the country, as no clear winner has yet emerged from last month's elections. Security officials have warned that a lengthy period of political wrangling could give way to renewed instability.

Followers of Moqtada al-Sadr, an influential Shia Muslim leader, on Friday and SAaturday held a  poll to establish who has the people's support to become the next prime minister. The movement said the 'referendum'  would give all Iraqis a chance to choose which of five candidates they would favour as prime minister. The 'referendum' is a symptom of the unclear election results, which put the Sadrist movement in a position to designate the color of the government to be.