Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi announced today that the emergency powers given to the government will be extended past the January 30th election date in order to maintain order in the time period leading up to election day.

'It is renewed,' Allawi announced today in Baghdad. 'We will be having the elections. We expect some escalations [of attacks] here and there. This is a precaution to protect the Iraqi people, as well as the elections and the process of the elections.'

The emergency powers were initially given to the government for 60 days on November 7th. The present extension adds 30 more days to the law. The emergency powers give the Prime Minister the right to impose curfews, restrict the movement of Iraqi citizens between cities and allows courts to stay open 24 hours so the government can obtain arrest warrents at any time of day. The law can be renewed again by the Iraqi governemnt in 30 days.