Over 5,000 votes cast by Iraqis in the Netherlands for their country's general election have been frozen pending a review.

The authorities in Iraq first want to check whether those who cast their ballot were eligible to vote. A number of Iraqis who voted abroad lacked the proper Iraqi documents.

Iraqis in Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands could vote in the Dutch city of Utrecht for a period three days. Some 12,000 Iraqis actually did so.

Iraqis in other countries experienced similar problems. In Britain, some 10,000 of 19,000 votes cast have also been frozen.

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