Iraqi parliamentary elections an overwhelming success!
Voice of Reason | 16.12.2005 10:04
A higher than expected turnout of around 67 per cent of people turned out to vote in Iraq's parliamentary elections. So many in fact that in some areas they ran out of ballot papers and had to order more.
Iraq last night took another crucial step towards real democracy as 15 million brave voters risked bomb and bullet to elect a real government. So many turned out that overwhelmed officials had to send out for extra ballot papers.
Significantly, the poll was boosted by Sunnis who boycotted the last election — and found themselves completely sidelined as a result. They learned a vital lesson — that democracy cannot survive unless people want it to.
The Sunni turnout shows that all Iraqi people want the new administration to work. They want allied troops to leave, just as much as the West wants to hand control to a viable authority. If it works, as everyone now hopes, British and American troops could start pulling out next year.
Significantly, the poll was boosted by Sunnis who boycotted the last election — and found themselves completely sidelined as a result. They learned a vital lesson — that democracy cannot survive unless people want it to.
The Sunni turnout shows that all Iraqi people want the new administration to work. They want allied troops to leave, just as much as the West wants to hand control to a viable authority. If it works, as everyone now hopes, British and American troops could start pulling out next year.
Voice of Reason
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