On Sunday, the people of Iraq fulfilled a national dream by voting in a democratic election. Though the results are still being tabulated, preliminary reports suggest that voter turnout was much higher than expected — some estimating as many as 60 percent of registered voters came out to cast their ballots — with far less violence than widely feared.
This is certainly an occasion for celebration. The long-suffering people of Iraq have accomplished something truly inspirational. It is a triumph that so many people hungry for democracy braved nightmarish conditions, with insurgents promising widespread bloodshed at polling places, in order to make their voices heard. This first taste of democracy will surely prove addictive. The first step has been taken, and far from stumbling, the nation of Iraq has taken it in stride.
Rather than voting for a president or prime minister in yesterday’s election, Iraqis voted for candidates who will make up a 275-member National Assembly and 18 provincial legislatures. The assembly is responsible for creating a permanent constitution and selecting
a president and two deputy presidents. These three members will then select a prime minister, who will serve until the next set of
elections in 11 months.
While there was impressive voter turnout in many regions in Iraq, in other regions turnout was virtually nonexistent. The Sunni city of Samarra, for example, had fewer than 1 percent turnout, according to Reuters. The majority of Iraqi Sunnis boycotted the elections, either by choice or through intimidation, which has the potential to throw the legitimacy of the elections into question and further divide Iraq along sectarian lines.
Furthermore, the fairness of the election is difficult to ascertain, due to the fact that international election monitors were not present in the country for fear of being targeted by insurgents. The relative peace of election day (we say relative because 35 people were confirmed dead as a result of multiple suicide bombings) was achieved through intense security measures that included curfews and street barricades. This is by no means the end of the insurgency. The freedom that the majority of Iraqis so desperately desire will not suddenly occur due to this election. They have only begun down that long road ahead.
What yesterday’s vote means for the American occupation remains to be seen. Concrete answers from the Bush administration are still few and far between. Will fewer U.S. troops be needed? Will the timeline of U.S. involvement in Iraq be greatly reduced? It is doubtful that yesterday’s success has had any effect on the answers to these important questions.
But our notes of caution are not meant to dampen this historic day. There will be time to worry about the road ahead; today, let’s revel in the fact that a much-needed seed of hope has been planted in the Middle East. Hopefully, it will put down strong roots and grow for many years.

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