Streets deserted in Kirkuk early morning

The streets of of the contested northern city of Kirkuk were deserted on Sunday morning, and not just of people.

The campaign posters that, for weeks, have defined streets across Iraq had mostly vanished.

Locals say scrap metal merchants moved in swiftly on Saturday evening after campaigning officially ended to lay claim to the metal frames.

Some laminated posters lie scrunched on the ground, their metal frames already on the way to being repurposed.