Iraqis got their finger in the ink

Sunnis did not have enough ballot boxes and ballots

Iraq yesterday elected the National Assembly - a permanent parliament of 275 deputies with four-year powers. The Iraqi Central Election Commission noted “unprecedented voter turnout.” Data on the percentage of voter participation in the elections did not appear yesterday. Since early morning, long queues have lined up at polling stations across the country. The Iraqis were not frightened by the militants' mortar attack on the center of Baghdad and the shelling of polling stations in Ramadi, Tikrit and Mosul - cities of the rebel "Sunni triangle".

Even the main Sunni armed groups called for the participation of co-religionists in the elections. It appears that yesterday's provocations were the work of the Iraqi wing of al-Qaeda, which called the vote a "devilish undertaking." Perhaps it was this organization that started the rumor about the poisoning of the capital's water supply. The frightening messages broadcast through street loudspeakers were soon denied by the Iraqi Ministry of Health. In addition to foreign coalition soldiers, about 150 thousand Iraqi military and police officers provided security for the elections. In Baghdad, they managed to foil an attempted terrorist attack by a suicide bomber.

So that the Iraqi “men with guns” could also vote, they were given one hour over the established limit. The closing of polling stations was marked by a booming fireworks display of all types of small arms. Not only soldiers and police were able to express their jubilation - a significant number of guns are in the hands of ordinary citizens.

Voter turnout in Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit and Sunni Fallujah, famous for its resistance to American and Iraqi government forces, was so great that there were not enough ballot boxes and ballots there. Commenting on the progress of the Iraqi elections to Vremya Novostei, Georgy Mirsky, chief researcher at IMEMO RAS, noted the special significance of voting in the “Sunni triangle.” Voter activity in this region, according to the scientist, reflects the readiness of Sunni Arabs, who boycotted the elections to the transitional parliament on January 30 this year, to finally join the political process.

President Jalal Talabani cast his vote “to preserve the unity of the country” in his homeland in the Kurdish city of Sulaymaniyah. After fulfilling his civic duty, his index finger was smeared with indelible ink so that the president would not decide to vote again. All other voters were marked in the same way. In total, more than 14 million voters are registered in the country of 25 million. They had to choose from 7,655 candidates; 307 parties and 19 blocs entered the elections.

Some candidates have already begun to accuse each other and district commissions of violations. It is expected that the new deputies will be announced in two to three weeks. After which, in the inevitable disputes, they will spend quite a long time forming the executive branch - electing a new president, agreeing on the candidacy of the prime minister nominated by him and the composition of the new government. After the parliamentary elections on January 30, this took almost two and a half months.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said yesterday that, “without waiting for the official voting results,” it expresses satisfaction that the Iraqis, despite the extremely difficult situation in their country, “were able to go through all the main stages of the political process” provided for by the UN Security Council. Russia is “ready for close cooperation with the new Iraqi leadership and to provide comprehensive assistance in restoring normal life” in Iraq.

Alexander SAMOKHOTKIN