Smoke and flames billow following a blast at the Baghdad Governorate in central Baghdad on October 25, 2009. (Sabah Arar/AFP/Getty Images)
An Iraqi woman surveys the damage along with her two little boys outside the justice and municipalities ministries a day after a suicide truck bomb struck in central Baghdad on October 26, 2009. (Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images)
"The blood of Iraqis is very cheap and I ask, how many victims will it take to convince the government that it has totally failed?" Hameed Salam, a former army officer now driving a taxi cab, shouted on Monday.
Iraq 's ballot in January is expected to focus on security gains under Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki after years of war, and sticky questions of the distribution of power and wealth.
The threat of more attacks looms as rivals seek to undermine Maliki and insurgents try to upset the electoral process.
Many Iraqis say they see divisions and infighting ahead of Iraq 's second post-invasion national vote as the prime source of instability in the world's 11th largest crude producer.
While violence has fallen since Washington sent thousands of extra troops, attacks are common in the politically-divided nation of 30 million people, and residents believe that bombings and other clashes are likely to increase ahead of the vote.
"The government is not in control of the security situation and political leaders quarrel over power," said Alaa Hussain, a former military officer.
"Maliki is not a superman and he cannot take control over the security of the country unless there is cooperation and union between the parties and politicians."
Iraqis inspect the damages following a bomb explosion in the Shiite shrine city of Karbala, south of Baghdad, on October 14, 2009. (Mohammed Sawaf/AFP/Getty Images)
Bloody Days
Many residents in Baghdad see a hazy connection between political disputes in parliament and violence in the streets. Politicians are currently at loggerheads over a law that will stipulate how the January election is run.
"The return of these large-scale bombings is because of the proximity of elections," said Haider Mohammed, a 34-year-old shop owner. "Haggling between the parties, if they differ on an issue, is reflected in the security situation," he said.
Iraqis stand at the site of a twin car bomb in the Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province in Western Iraq, on October 11, 2009. (AFP/Getty Images)
The impasse has cast doubt over whether the Jan. 16 date is feasible and raised questions about whether politicians can make tough decisions for a nation emerging from decades of strife.
But Iraq is a far cry from the days of sectarian carnage that followed the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. The government says its doors are open for business and it is starting to sign multibillion dollar deals with global oil firms.
Security remains fragile, and officials fear attacks like those on Sunday or the bombings of the finance and foreign ministries in August are aimed a re-igniting sectarian war.
"(Sunday's) bloody bombing was a definite message for Maliki's government. Stop bragging about achieving security," said Thamir al-Ani, 35, a government employee.
The Aug. 19 "Bloody Wednesday" bombings and the attack on Sunday raised doubts about Iraqi forces' ability to take over security from U.S. soldiers who pulled out of Iraqi city centres in June ahead of their complete withdrawal in 2011.
"We were talking about bloody Wednesday. Now we'll talk about bloody Sunday. I am afraid with the continuation of these bombings all our days will be bloody," political analyst Haider al-Mulla said.
