Despite frequent -and almost always justified -criticism of the Bush administration's handling of the war in Iraq, it appears the decision to hold elections this past weekend was a good one. Simply put, when compared to the dire predictions from many, the election was a success.
The president has been beating the drum lately about the greatness of the American way and the power of freedom and liberty, which is not exactly controversial ground for the leader of the free world. But for all the corniness of the president's post-inauguration generalities, there is something pure and American about democracy, and that feeling is only intensified when it emanates from a place like Iraq -embroiled in a deadly insurgency and still recovering from the despotic excesses of Saddam Hussein's regime.
That is not to say the election was without incident. Forty-four people died at various polling stations in Iraq, according to The Associated Press. Voter turnout was shockingly low in some areas, which likely was because of unsafe conditions brought on by fear of insurgents. One polling station in Ramadi reported only six people showed up in the first seven hours of balloting -a bridge to the station was thought to be too dangerous to cross, reported The New York Times (only about 300 in the entire city voted). And, after all the setbacks in Iraq, it is certainly within the realm of possibility that the results of the election are illegitimate.
But for every Ramadi, there were several success stories.
Officials wavered on the actual voter turnout percentage. After more optimistic totals early in the day (one as high as 72 percent), the projected turnout figure is about 57 percent. Even if the figure is inflated, it is still an impressive figure. It is important to note that the 57-percent figure represents only those registered voters who turned out -Iraq is a country of about 25 million, and as many as 8 million voted.
Even in Sunni-dominated trouble spots, such as Anbar, turnout predictions were exceeded, and officials had to have extra materials brought in to handle voters, Fareed Ayar, chairman of the Independent Election Commission of Iraq, told The New York Times.
Final results of the election, which was held to pick a temporary 275-person National Assembly to draft a constitution in advance of a new round of elections set for December, are not expected to be definitively known for at least 10 days.
The war in Iraq was still a mistake in terms of the hastiness that permeated the entire operation, and despite a quick toppling of the Baathist regime, an utter lack of postwar planning has made the country a quagmire for beleaguered American forces. But that does not mean that the battle for an ultimately democratic and pro-west regime in Iraq is necessarily a lost cause, and Jan. 30 may well be remembered as the day democracy won the hearts and minds of a liberated nation. Then again, recent history in Iraq has forced Americans to be skeptical.
But, if anything, for one day, the news from Iraq was heartening -some 8 million Iraqis daring to walk out the door into a violent and uncertain world, head down the street and cast a vote for the future of their country. There's nothing wrong with that.
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