Existing comment:
January Elections:
Iraq's first democratic elections were held on 30 January 2005. Despite terrorist intimidation, some 8.5 million Iraqis voted, representing 58 percents of all eligible voters. The Shiite-dominated United Iraqi Alliance, headed by Ibrahim al-Jaafari, received 140 out of 275 seats in the National Assembly, while the Kurdistan Alliance List received 75 and the Iraqi List received 40. Several other smaller parties, such as the Iraqi Turkmen Front, the Islamic group of Kurdistan/Iraq, and the National Union, received the remainder of the open seats in the assembly. The assembly's first tasks were to select a three-member Presidency Council and draft a constitution. The January elections marked an important step toward building a new Iraq built upon choice rather than fear. |