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| Iraq |
| Polls Close in Iraq Elections Held Amid Tight Security |
| 2009-02-01 |
| Iraqis streamed past police cordons and barbed wire as they went to the polls on Saturday to vote for the first time in four years. The elections are widely seen as a test of Iraq's stability as the U.S. role here diminishes. As the polls closed Saturday evening, there were no reports of anyone being injured or killed for political reasons. At polling stations across Iraq, people voted calmly, with many bringing their families to participate in only the second elections since the collapse of former president Saddam Hussein's government. Voter turnout in many areas was lower than expected, according to early reports. "I am so happy," declared Raad al-Shimari, 30, in Baghdad's Kadhamiyah neighborhood, flashing his forefinger, which had been dipped in purple ink to indicate he had just voted. "I chose the person that will represent me." The all-important provincial elections are viewed as a key indicator of whether the nation can build upon fragile security gains and address imbalances in power that still plague many areas. More than 14,000 candidates are running for 440 seats to lead councils that are the equivalent of state legislatures in the United States. The elections are unfolding in all of Iraq's provinces except three in the autonomous Kurdish region and the province that includes the disputed city of Kirkuk, where ethnic groups were unable to reach a power-sharing agreement paving the way for elections. The voting at 7,000 polling stations opened shortly after dawn following a heavy security clampdown launched on Friday. Those security measures included closing Iraq's borders and airspace coupled with bans on vehicle traffic and the deployment of thousands of security personnel around polling stations. Officials extended the voting by one hour to accommodate last minute crowds. |
| Posted by:Fred |