As most know, while you were asleep last night, Iraqis were busy voting amidst violence and terrorists threats. And turnout was high, very high. In fact, you may be surprised by initial figures, assuming they are accurate.
Percentage-wise, more Iraqis voted in this election (72%) than Americans voted in the 2004 election! (60.7%). And that was the highest percentage of Americans voting in the past 30 years. The Iraqi vote was a huge success... it goes to show that they really DO want freedom, and will fight for it even in the face of danger and terrorism!
Here are some articles I collected on the vote that chronicle it from beginning to end:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,145808,00.html
Iraq's Historic Vote Begins
Sunday, January 30, 2005
BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq was on high alert Sunday as polls opened to citizens eager to cast votes in the country's first open elections in more than 50 years. Insurgents made good on threats in some areas. Tight security stopped one bomber from reaching a crowded polling station and a slew of terrorist attempts did not hit their targets.
In the first sign of anti-election violence, a homicide bomber blew up his vehicle after being stopped by Iraqi police at a security checkpoint protecting a polling station in the Mansoor District of northwest Baghdad. One Iraqi police officer was killed and two Iraqi national guardsmen and two traffic cops were wounded in the attack.
Another homicide bomber blew himself up in a line of voters outside a west Baghdad polling station, causing several casualties, and a blast at another voting centre in Sadr City killed at least four people, Reuters reported.
Mortar fire and explosions were heard in central Baghdad about an hour and a half into Sunday's historic election.
Despite the blasts, Iraqis — men and women together — were turning out in droves to vote at a polling station west of Baghdad, according to FNC's Geraldo Rivera.
Leading secular Shiite candidate Ahmad Chalabi (search) told FOX News that the majority of Iraqis are not afraid and are determined to vote. They are grateful to the "young men and women of the U.S. forces for helping us get to this day.
"The momentum of the millions of people voting will create its own security," he said.
Iraqi President Ghazi al-Yawer (search) was one of the first to vote at the convention center serving as election headquarters in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone. Al-Yawer called his vote his country's first step "toward joining the free world."
As poll workers watched, al-Yawer marked two ballots — one for the 275-member National Assembly and the other for provincial legislatures — and then dropped them into boxes. A poll worker handed him an Iraqi flag as he left.
"I'm very proud and happy this morning," al-Yawer told reporters. "I congratulate all the Iraqi people and call them to vote for Iraq."
Al-Yawer's casting of one of the first ballots was highly symbolic, since he is a Sunni Muslim and could possibly influence fellow Sunnis. The Iraqi government is deeply concerned that Sunnis will elect not to participate in the election.
His wife, Nesreen Mustafa Berwari (search), a minister of public works in the country's interim government, voted shortly thereafter. "This is a shining day on the road to the new Iraq," she said.
Across the country, voters began filing into nearly 5,200 polling stations, where workers checked their identifications before letting them cast ballots. About 300,000 Iraqi and American troops are on the streets and on standby to protect voters.
Over the past 24 hours, insurgents carried out attacks on polling stations in major cities across the nation, according to senior military officials, who said the Iraqi police and army are responding to calls at a much higher rate than expected. In one case, a man attempted to carry out an attack on a horse.
Insurgents have recently stepped up their pre-election campaign of violence. On Saturday, terrorists attacked the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad's Green Zone (search), killing one civilian Defense Department employee and one naval officer.
Also Saturday, eight people were killed in a homicide bombing and a roadside explosive killed a U.S. soldier.
More than 40 U.S. troops have died in the past three days. Iraq's interim prime minister said that the "success" of the election would mean America's sacrifices were made in the service of freedom.
"They have not fallen in vain. They have fallen for a just cause ... and we are witnessing now some of the results of this very sacred cause," Ayad Allawi (search) told FOX News. "Their blood and the blood of Iraqi soldiers have not gone in vain."
The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time on Sunday, or 11 p.m. to 9 a.m. EST. Iraqis will choose a 275-member National Assembly and provincial councils in the country's 18 provinces. Voters in the Kurdish self-ruled area of the north will select a new regional parliament. Results are not expected for a couple of weeks.
FOX News' Dana Lewis, Geraldo Rivera, Jane Roh, Shepard Smith and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
************
Iraqis Brave Bombs to Vote in Their Millions
Sun Jan 30, 2005 07:45 AM ET
By Luke Baker
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Millions of Iraqis turned out to vote 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 surprisingly 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.
FESTIVE VOTING
In mainly Shi'ite Basra, Iraq's second biggest city, hundreds of voters queued patiently at polling centers.
"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 centers 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 neighborhood 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 centers 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, apologizing for the mix-up. At one Tikrit station, only one voter pitched up.
"VOTE FOR HUMANITY, LOVE"
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 favor 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.
*********
CNN:
"With polls nearing closing time in Iraq's historic election day, Iraqi election officials are reporting a turnout of 72 percent nationwide, despite a spate of attacks and threats aimed at disrupting the vote."
Percentage-wise, more Iraqis voted in this election (72%) than Americans voted in the 2004 election! (60.7%). And that was the highest percentage of Americans voting in the past 30 years. The Iraqi vote was a huge success... it goes to show that they really DO want freedom, and will fight for it even in the face of danger and terrorism!
Here are some articles I collected on the vote that chronicle it from beginning to end:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,145808,00.html
Iraq's Historic Vote Begins
Sunday, January 30, 2005
BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq was on high alert Sunday as polls opened to citizens eager to cast votes in the country's first open elections in more than 50 years. Insurgents made good on threats in some areas. Tight security stopped one bomber from reaching a crowded polling station and a slew of terrorist attempts did not hit their targets.
In the first sign of anti-election violence, a homicide bomber blew up his vehicle after being stopped by Iraqi police at a security checkpoint protecting a polling station in the Mansoor District of northwest Baghdad. One Iraqi police officer was killed and two Iraqi national guardsmen and two traffic cops were wounded in the attack.
Another homicide bomber blew himself up in a line of voters outside a west Baghdad polling station, causing several casualties, and a blast at another voting centre in Sadr City killed at least four people, Reuters reported.
Mortar fire and explosions were heard in central Baghdad about an hour and a half into Sunday's historic election.
Despite the blasts, Iraqis — men and women together — were turning out in droves to vote at a polling station west of Baghdad, according to FNC's Geraldo Rivera.
Leading secular Shiite candidate Ahmad Chalabi (search) told FOX News that the majority of Iraqis are not afraid and are determined to vote. They are grateful to the "young men and women of the U.S. forces for helping us get to this day.
"The momentum of the millions of people voting will create its own security," he said.
Iraqi President Ghazi al-Yawer (search) was one of the first to vote at the convention center serving as election headquarters in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone. Al-Yawer called his vote his country's first step "toward joining the free world."
As poll workers watched, al-Yawer marked two ballots — one for the 275-member National Assembly and the other for provincial legislatures — and then dropped them into boxes. A poll worker handed him an Iraqi flag as he left.
"I'm very proud and happy this morning," al-Yawer told reporters. "I congratulate all the Iraqi people and call them to vote for Iraq."
Al-Yawer's casting of one of the first ballots was highly symbolic, since he is a Sunni Muslim and could possibly influence fellow Sunnis. The Iraqi government is deeply concerned that Sunnis will elect not to participate in the election.
His wife, Nesreen Mustafa Berwari (search), a minister of public works in the country's interim government, voted shortly thereafter. "This is a shining day on the road to the new Iraq," she said.
Across the country, voters began filing into nearly 5,200 polling stations, where workers checked their identifications before letting them cast ballots. About 300,000 Iraqi and American troops are on the streets and on standby to protect voters.
Over the past 24 hours, insurgents carried out attacks on polling stations in major cities across the nation, according to senior military officials, who said the Iraqi police and army are responding to calls at a much higher rate than expected. In one case, a man attempted to carry out an attack on a horse.
Insurgents have recently stepped up their pre-election campaign of violence. On Saturday, terrorists attacked the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad's Green Zone (search), killing one civilian Defense Department employee and one naval officer.
Also Saturday, eight people were killed in a homicide bombing and a roadside explosive killed a U.S. soldier.
More than 40 U.S. troops have died in the past three days. Iraq's interim prime minister said that the "success" of the election would mean America's sacrifices were made in the service of freedom.
"They have not fallen in vain. They have fallen for a just cause ... and we are witnessing now some of the results of this very sacred cause," Ayad Allawi (search) told FOX News. "Their blood and the blood of Iraqi soldiers have not gone in vain."
The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time on Sunday, or 11 p.m. to 9 a.m. EST. Iraqis will choose a 275-member National Assembly and provincial councils in the country's 18 provinces. Voters in the Kurdish self-ruled area of the north will select a new regional parliament. Results are not expected for a couple of weeks.
FOX News' Dana Lewis, Geraldo Rivera, Jane Roh, Shepard Smith and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
************
Iraqis Brave Bombs to Vote in Their Millions
Sun Jan 30, 2005 07:45 AM ET
By Luke Baker
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Millions of Iraqis turned out to vote 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 surprisingly 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.
FESTIVE VOTING
In mainly Shi'ite Basra, Iraq's second biggest city, hundreds of voters queued patiently at polling centers.
"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 centers 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 neighborhood 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 centers 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, apologizing for the mix-up. At one Tikrit station, only one voter pitched up.
"VOTE FOR HUMANITY, LOVE"
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 favor 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.
*********
CNN:
"With polls nearing closing time in Iraq's historic election day, Iraqi election officials are reporting a turnout of 72 percent nationwide, despite a spate of attacks and threats aimed at disrupting the vote."