Iraqis turned out in droves yesterday in a landmark poll to choose a new government many hope will restore stability to a nation wracked by violence and sectarian feuding since the fall of former president Saddam Hussein.
Despite a massive security lockdown, two men were killed in attacks in northern Iraq while mortar strikes in Baghdad, including one in the heavily fortified Green Zone claimed by an al-Qaeda-linked group, injured four civilians and a US marine.
"The most important thing is for Iraqis to express themselves with ballots, not blasts," Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari said.
PHOTO: AP
Turnout quickened throughout the day, with voting strong in the Shiite south and in Sunni Arab districts where people queued up to cast their ballots, in stark contrast to their overwhelming boycott of an election in January.
Strict security measures brought Iraq to a halt as 15.5 million Iraqis were called to vote for a four-year, 275-member parliament, with top candidates pledging to restore stability and pave the way for an exit of foreign troops.
"It's a national celebration for all Iraqis," said President Jalal Talabani, the country's first Kurdish head of state.
US President George W. Bush, whose approval ratings slumped over the mounting US death toll in Iraq, said Iraqi democracy would serve as a "model" for the Middle East.
The vote, the third this year, marks a new beginning following the US-led invasion in March 2003 to oust Saddam, two transitional governments and the adoption of a Constitution in October.
Iraqis poured into the streets and walked to polling stations because of a vehicle ban aimed at curbing car bomb attacks.
In the capital and in the restive Sunni city of Fallujah, disabled men in wheelchairs and on crutches joined neighbors to cast their ballots, with many demanding stability and the restoration of public services such as electricity and water.
In the holy city of Najaf, as well as the main southern city of Basra, residents were already celebrating the victory of the main religious Shiite United Iraqi Alliance coalition.
A total of 7,655 candidates and 307 political entities, nearly triple the number that stood in January, are running, with turnout among the ousted Sunni minority expected to be much higher this time.
"The next parliament will represent all Iraqis," said Vice President Abdel Abdel Mehdi, tipped by many as the next prime minister.
Meanwhile, Italy will withdraw an additional 300 soldiers from Iraq next month as part of its gradual military pullout, Italian Defense Minister Antonio Martino said.
"The Italian military contingent in Iraq will be reduced by 300 additional men in January 2006, going from 2,900 men currently to 2,600," he told a news conference.
The center-right government of Silvio Berlusconi sent 3,200 soldiers who were deployed to Nassiriyah in the south of the country, a zone under British command, in June 2003.
But it said earlier this year it would start a gradual withdrawal that corresponded to the ability of local forces to maintain security.
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