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| Monday, 31 January 2005 |
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Iraqis brave bombs to vote in their millions BAGHDAD, Sunday (Reuters) Millions of Iraqis turned out to vote on Sunday, defying anti-U.S. insurgents determined to drown the historic poll in blood. Suicide bombs and mortar fire shadowed the event, the first multi-party election in 50 years, killing at least 22 people. But still voters came out in force, many with resolve, some with fanfare and others with their faces hidden. Even in Falluja, the devastated Sunni city west of Baghdad that was a militant stronghold until a U.S. assault in November, a slow stream of people turned out, confounding expectations. "We want to be like other Iraqis, we don't want to always be in opposition," said Ahmed Jassim, smiling after voting. In Baquba, a rebellious city northeast of Baghdad, crowds clapped and cheered at one voting station. In Mosul, scene of some of the worst insurgent attacks in recent months, U.S. and local officials said turnout was suprisingly high. One of the first to vote was President Ghazi al-Yawar, a Sunni Muslim Arab with a large tribal following, who cast his ballot inside Baghdad's fortress-like Green Zone. He emerged from the booth with a smile, his right index finger stained with bright blue ink to show he had voted, and was handed a small Iraqi flag by an official. "Thanks be to God," he told reporters. "I hope everyone will go out and vote." In the relatively secure Kurdish north, people flowed steadily to the polls. One illiterate man in Arbil, 76-year-old Said Rasool, came alone and was turned away, unable to read the ballot paper. He said he would return with someone to help. Even in the so-called "triangle of death", an insurgent hotbed south of Baghdad, turnout was solid, officials said. In mainly Shi'ite Basra, Iraq's second biggest city, hundreds of voters queued patiently at polling centres. "I am not afraid," said Samir Khalil Ibrahim, a young man voting alone. "This is like a festival for all Iraqis." Within a few hours, four voting centres in the city had been hit by blasts but no one was killed. In Baghdad, a small group ululated as Sharif Ali bin al-Hussein, a descendant of Iraq's last king, went to the polls. Ali leads a constitutional monarchy slate in the election. Western Baghdad polling stations were busy, with queues of voters forming. Most went about the process routinely, filling in their ballots and leaving quickly without too much emotion. Samir Hassan, 32, who lost his leg in a car bomb blast in October, was determined to vote. "I would have crawled here if I had to. I don't want terrorists to kill other Iraqis like they tried to kill me. Today I am voting for peace," he said. In Sadr City, a poor Shi'ite neighbourhood of northeast Baghdad that has been the scene of much discontent over the past 18 months, two lines of voters formed at one polling station, women in black abaya robes in one line, men in another. Some of the first to vote countrywide were policemen, out in force to protect polling centres from attack, part of draconian security precautions put in place by U.S. and Iraqi officials. In Samarra, a restive Sunni-Shi'ite city north of Baghdad, the crackle of gunfire was heard minutes after polls opened. After a few hours, only about 100 people had voted at one of two polling sites. One woman, covered head-to-toe in black robes, kept her face concealed, but said she voted with pride. In nearby Baiji, some people were unable to vote because electoral officials failed to turn up. "We are waiting for the manager with the key," said an election worker, apologising for the mix-up. At one Tikrit station, only one voter pitched up. In the shrine city of Najaf in the Shi'ite heartland, hundreds of people walked calmly to polling stations. Security around Najaf, attacked before, was some of the tightest. "This is a wedding for all Iraqis. I congratulate all Iraqis on their newfound freedom and democracy," said Jaida Hamza, dressed in a black Islamic veil that also hid her face. Shi'ites, who make up 60 percent of Iraq's people, are expected to win the vote, overturning years of oppression. In Kirkuk, a city divided between Arabs, Kurds and Turkmen, Kurds turned out in force, as expected, but there were signs Arabs and Turkmen were following through on a threat to boycott, angered by what they see as voting rules that favour Kurds. One of the biggest surprises was Mosul, a mixed Sunni Arab and Kurd city in the far north. "So far it's gone very well, much better than expected," said a U.S. army officer. Baghdad's mayor was overcome with emotion by the turnout of voters at City Hall, where he said thousands were celebrating. "I cannot describe what I am seeing. It is incredible. This is a vote for the future, for the children, for the rule of law, for humanity, for love," Alaa al-Tamimi told Reuters. Meanwhile National turnout in Iraq's historic Jan. 30 elections on Sunday was estimated at 72 percent of registered voters by 2 p.m. (1100 GMT), a far higher figure than most expected, the country's Electoral Commission said. Officials told a news conference turnout was 90 percent or more in many Shi'ite areas. The polls are due to close at 5 p.m. Commission official Adil al-Lami said nearly 99 percent of polling stations had opened around the country, with only a few not able to open for security reasons or because of a lack of staff. Around 13 million Iraqis registered to vote in the elections -- around half of the population. Some eligible voters did not register, due to intimidation or because they were boycotting the polls. |
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