POLITICS: Large Turnout in Iraqi Elections, page 1

Voter turnout was very high and violence was very low today as Iraqis participated in the democratic process. There was even reported shortages of ballots in some areas. Sunnis turned out in large numbers, despite having been reluctant to participate in last January's elections.

news.yahoo.com
Iraqis voted Thursday in one of the largest and freest elections in the Arab world, with strong turnout reported in Sunni areas and even a shortage of ballots in some precincts. Several explosions rocked Baghdad throughout the day, but the level of violence was low. The heavy participation in the parliamentary voting by the Sunnis, who had shunned balloting last January, bolstered U.S. hopes of calming the insurgency enough to begin withdrawing its troops next year.

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This is one of the most positive developments in the Middle East since the liberation of Lebanon. We can only hope that democracy will take hold in Iraq and the various factions will find ways to settle their differences without insurgencies and terror. If you've been watching television, the interviews with jubilant Iraqis are very heartwarming, indeed, including the Iraqi woman who, raising her purple stained finger, told all the naysayers to "Go to Hell!"

[edit on 2005/12/15 by GradyPhilpott]