In Najaf, at least 48 people died and 90 were injured when a bomb exploded near the Ali Iman shrine, doctors said.
A similar explosion at a crowded bus station in Karbala left 13 dead and 30 injured, police sources said.
The aim of the bombers – believed to be Sunni insurgents – is to kill as many Shias as possible and try to stir up sectarian trouble ahead of the 30 January poll, sources said.
