IPS appears to be an established news agency with a Third World emphasis. It's not known what their biases are, if any.

Needless to say, this story has received attention from sites like DemocraticUnderground.

However, there are few other news sources discussing this story.

The Washington Post devotes just fourteen words to it in the story “Iraqis defy insurgency”: “Despite rumors that food rations would be taken away if residents failed to vote…”

And, from a Washington Post special correspondent:

(Note that that's from Tikrit, while the IPS report mentions voters in Baghdad.)

This story not directly related to the Iraq vote gives a clue to why this rumor (if it was indeed just a rumor) could be believed: …All Iraqis were required to vote during Saddam Hussein's reign. Embassy officials told the students that Iraqis who refused to vote for Saddam lost their jobs or food rations…

In a statement posted on an Islamic Web site, the Iraqi militant group Ansar al-Islam claimed responsibility for Sunday´s downing the plane north of Baghdad. The statement´s authenticity could not be immediately confirmed.

The group claimed its fighters tracked the aircraft, “which was flying at a low altitude, and fired an anti-tank missile at it.´´

The plane went down hours after polls closed in Iraq while flying from Baghdad to the town of Balad.

“Thanks be to God, the plane was downed and a huge fire and black clouds of smoke were seen rising from the location of the crash,´´ said the statement posted Sunday.

A spokesman for Britain´s Ministry of Defense said he could not confirm Ansar al-Islam´s claim. “People on the ground are investigating,´´ he said on condition of anonymity.

Established after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Ansar al-Islam is one of Iraq´s older extremist groups and it has been linked to al-Qaida.

More…

Also:

Arab TV channel Al-Jazeera aired a video on Monday that showed insurgents walking amid the wreckage of an airplane that was said to be that of a British C-130 that crashed in Iraq Sunday.

From The Australian :

Iraqi shopkeepers in western Sydney said yesterday their support for the Iraqi election was endangering their lives after four people were injured in a shooting provoked by the poll.

Some community leaders blamed fundamentalists sympathetic to al-Qa'ida for the attack.

One man is in a serious condition in Westmead Hospital and three others suffered ricochet wounds during the shooting on Sunday night.

More than 100 people were involved in the brawl on Auburn's main street, damaging shops and two cars.

They gave rather better than they got, till someone brought out a shotgun.

Iraqi community leader and voter Kamil Alhamid said the attackers were men from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Lebanon, but not Iraq.

Ahl Albait secretary Mr Alhamid said the assailants were fundamentalists sympathetic to al-Qa'ida and the terrorist group of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

Sunday's attack followed a protest outside Auburn's polling booth on Saturday that halted voting for an hour. The protesters yelled anti-Shi'ite slogans at voters, took their photos and threatened them.

Sheik Naji said the protesters shouted “vote and die” at the voters, exactly the same threat shouted at voters in Iraq.

See previous post.

Abdul Auglah said he was upset the violence was happening in Australia.

Speaking as an Australian, so am I. Rather more than merely “upset” though, and no doubt the AFP (Australian Federal Police) and ASIO (the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation) will be doing something about it soon-ish.

Perhaps this should be in the Politics section, but as all the perpetrators used it as an excuse to criticise the UK's Iraq policies, it fits here.

From The Australian :

When a sheet of paper covered in doodles was found on Tony Blair's desk at the Davos World Economic Forum, handwriting experts delighted in analysing it, concluding the Prime Minister was stressed and under pressure.

Experts who examined the tangle of boxes, circles, loops and notes on debt and trade variously described Mr Blair as “struggling to concentrate” or “not a natural leader” and “stressed and tense”.

But there was a problem.

The doodles, it later transpired, were nothing to do with Mr Blair but were the work of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who shared a table with Mr Blair at the summit.

“Somebody from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has said that the notes are from Bill Gates rather than from Tony Blair,” a spokesman from Mr Blair's Downing Street office said today.

“We were surprised nobody bothered to ask us about this when the paper was made public last week because the writing is obviously not the prime minister's,” he added.

Psychologists and graphologists drafted in by a number of British newspapers even noted how “Blair's” handwriting had changed for the worse since he first won election as British Prime Minister in 1997.

“We look forward to psychologists reassessing their conclusions of how these characteristics ascribed to the Prime Minister equally apply to Mr Gates,” the Downing Street spokesman said.

See (for example) articles by the Times, the Evening Standard, and the Independent.

But no-one does a retraction with more grace than The Times.

09:24 High Turnout in Baghdad Points to Early Success

10:24 Amid Attacks, a Party Atmosphere on Baghdad's Closed Streets

18:26 Insurgent Attacks in Baghdad and Elsewhere Kill at Least 24

20:50 Attacks in Baghdad and Elsewhere Reportedly Kill Several Dozen

The article itself didn't change over the period, just the Headline the NYT editors chose to put on it.

Hat Tip Ann Althouse.

The Iraqi elections are over and, by all accounts, ended reasonably successfully. While I refused to engage in the kind of calculus of killing that some had set into prior to the voting (discussions of how many people have to die for us to consider it an “unsuccessful” election), I will be quite frank and say that based on what I heard while I was in DC for the inauguration that the US was expecting Zarqawi or “Z-Man” as they call him in military circles (a reference, or so I understand it, to a transvestite from a 1970s X-rated film) to hit them with everything he had. As in, people were talking quite seriously about between 500 to a 1,000 casualties and this was just in defense circles.

When Brigadier General Erv Lessel was talking about a spectacular terrorist attack on the elections just 6 days ago, he was talking about 9/11 or equivalent level attacks. It is for that reason that I think it's best that we take the time to fully appreciate what we were going up against here so we can understand the full magnitude of what has just been accomplished.

• To Begin With… Election Aftermath
• What Didn't Go Wrong
• Recent Changes in the Insurgency
• Whither Zarqawi (and his Organization) Now?
• Oh, and on the “Good” Professor Cole…

Note: Also available at the “Opinion Journal” and Chrenkoff. Big thanks to James Taranto and Joe Katzman for their support, and to the growing band of readers and fellow bloggers who send suggestions and spread the good news.

It happened. And they did it.

In scenes unimaginable only two years ago - and scorned as impossible, undesirable and impractical for months - millions of ordinary Iraqi men and women braved terrorist violence and came out to vote for their future government (for a brief election fact file see here).

• The Election
  
• Society
  
• Economy
  
• Reconstruction
  
• Humanitarian Aid
  
• The Coalition Troops
  
• Security

Update to this story

A British C-130 military transport plane crashed Sunday north of Baghdad, scattering wreckage over a large area, officials said. At least 10 troops were killed, Britain's Press Association new agency said.

The crash occurred at around 5:25 p.m. about 20 miles northwest of Baghdad, said a spokesman for the British Ministry of Defense .

Press Association quoted unidentified military sources saying the death toll was “around 10” and it was “highly unlikely” to be more than 15. A Ministry of Defense spokesman said late Sunday that military officials were still trying to reach families of those involved.

This story reports “up to 15” dead.

Via AP:

WASHINGTON - The U.S. occupation authority in Iraq was unable to keep track of nearly $9 billion it transferred to government ministries, which lacked financial controls, security, communications and adequate staff, an inspector general has found.

The U.S. officials relied on Iraqi audit agencies to account for the funds but those offices were not even functioning when the funds were transferred between October 2003 and June 2004, according to an audit by a special U.S. inspector general.

The findings were released Sunday by Stuart Bowen Jr., special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction. Bowen issued several reports on the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), the U.S. occupation government that ruled Iraq from June 2003 to June 2004

Read the whole thing.

The Iraq elections are just the first step on the road to democracy. Coming up:

• The 275-member transitional National Assembly will first choose a largely ceremonial president and two vice presidents. They, in turn, will pick a prime minister and a Cabinet that must be ratified by the assembly.

• The assembly, elected for an 11-month term, will draft a permanent constitution.

• Iraqis will hold a national referendum in October to accept or reject the constitution.

• If the document is approved, Iraqis will vote in December for a permanent government under the constitution.

• If the document is rejected, Iraqis will repeat the whole process, voting for a new transitional assembly to draft a new constitution.

[Soure: AP]

Text of the President's address:

Today the people of Iraq have spoken to the world, and the world is hearing the voice of freedom from the center of the Middle East.

In great numbers, and under great risk, Iraqis have shown their commitment to democracy. By participating in free elections, the Iraqi people have firmly rejected the anti-democratic ideology of the terrorists. They have refused to be intimidated by thugs and assassins. And they have demonstrated the kind of courage that is always the foundation of self-government.

Some Iraqis were killed while exercising their rights as citizens. We also mourn the American and British military personnel who lost their lives today. Their sacrifices were made in a vital cause of freedom, peace in a troubled region, and a more secure future for us all.

The Iraqi people, themselves, made this election a resounding success. Brave patriots stepped forward as candidates. Many citizens volunteered as poll workers. More than 100,000 Iraqi security force personnel guarded polling places and conducted operations against terrorist groups. One news account told of a voter who had lost a leg in a terror attack last year, and went to the polls today, despite threats of violence. He said, “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.”

Across Iraq today, men and women have taken rightful control of their country's destiny, and they have chosen a future of freedom and peace. In this process, Iraqis have had many friends at their side. The European Union and the United Nations gave important assistance in the election process. The American military and our diplomats, working with our coalition partners, have been skilled and relentless, and their sacrifices have helped to bring Iraqis to this day. The people of the United States have been patient and resolute, even in difficult days.

The commitment to a free Iraq now goes forward. This historic election begins the process of drafting and ratifying a new constitution, which will be the basis of a fully democratic Iraqi government. Terrorists and insurgents will continue to wage their war against democracy, and we will support the Iraqi people in their fight against them. We will continue training Iraqi security forces so this rising democracy can eventually take responsibility for its own security.

There's more distance to travel on the road to democracy. Yet Iraqis are proving they're equal to the challenge. On behalf of the American people, I congratulate the people of Iraq on this great and historic achievement.

Thank you very much.

Bloomberg reports that as many as 8 million voted in Iraq's election:

“The streets of Baghdad were not soaked with blood” said Farid Ayar, spokesman for the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq, at a Baghdad news conference broadcast by Cable News Network as polls closed. The commission said turnout was about 60 percent, down from an earlier estimate of 72 percent.

From California Yankee.

From Hammorabi:

Great day!

It is the birth of freedom and democracy in Iraq!

It is a great festival!

Today only we may announce the victory!

Today we hit back in the heart of the terrorists and the tyrants!

Today is the day in which the souls of our martyrs comforted!

Today those who were killed in Iraq or wounded among our friends from the USA and other allies, who helped us to reach this day, are with us again to inscribe their names with Gold for ever!

Today we challenged the killers and terrorists and foot on them with our shoes!

Many people walked long distances to vote in a most civilised way!

People asked for more time to enable them to vote!

One woman was crying because she can not reach the requested polling station to vote!

In many parts the police helped citizens to take them with their cars to the polling stations!

Read the whole thing…

Newsweek, once you get past the headline, has a fascinating article about a Saudi who survived his homicide bombing and provided information that lead to the capture of a number:

He wasn't supposed to live, and the way he tells the story today, this “suicide bomber” wasn't quite ready to die. Twenty-one-year-old Ahmed Abdullah al-Shayea had come to Iraq from Saudi Arabia to join the infamous terrorist known as Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi in a holy war against the American infidels. On Christmas morning, 2004, he got his first assignment, to park a tanker truck full of explosives near the high walls around the Jordanian Embassy in Baghdad. He didn't know that four fellow terrorists in a Jeep Cherokee following a safe distance behind held the remote-control trigger. When they pushed it, an explosion thundered across the city, killing 10 Iraqi policemen. But al-Shayea, unlike scores of other bombers who've been vaporized beyond recognition, was blown through the windshield and, against all odds, survived.

Taken to a hospital with third-degree burns over 70 percent of his body, al-Shayea was thought to be just another bystander wounded in the blast. But when police got a tip the second week in January that men were willing to offer money to get him out, or kill him, the cops got interested. If terrorists wanted him, so did they. “Our intelligence agents kidnapped him from the hospital,” says Brig. Gen. Hussein Ali Kamal, deputy minister of the Interior for intelligence affairs. Speaking to NEWSWEEK at his heavily guarded headquarters in Baghdad last week, Kamal described the scene. Al-Shayea was brought into the office swathed in bandages and propped up on a makeshift seat without a back. A pillow was put on his lap to ease the pain of his burned arms. Then the interrogators began their questioning, threatening to hand al-Shayea to the Americans, and at one point putting him on the phone with his father in Saudi Arabia.

[. . .]

General Kamal says information supplied by al-Shayea helped Coalition forces round up several of Zarqawi's key lieutenants within a matter of days.

From California Yankee.

A series of loud explosions rocked central Baghdad today – more than an hour after polls closed in the historic Iraqi elections.

The cause of the blasts could not be determined but they appeared to come from the west of the city.

MSNBC TV is reporting that figure as the official estimate. Some journalists on the ground have noted a gut reaction that the estimate is high

MSNBC TV: British C-130 transport has crashed in Iraq. Down 25 miles NW of Baghdad. No news of casualties, but wreckage is widely scattered.

FOX News is reporting that someone threw a grenade into a Mosul polling center. Five U.N. soldiers were injured, but apparently no fatalities. No suspect was caught.

The attack occurred after the polls closed.

Liminal writes:

I cannot tell you how happy I am that my family did not go to vote.

He also notes:

I was just listening to bbc and this is what i hear as they interview people live as they are in line to vote. A small but significant translational error follows:

bbc dude: “Who are you going to vote for?

iraqi dude: Ayad Allawi.

bbc dude: Why are you voting for Allawi?

iraqi dude: Yaani, zain, kh'osh rijaal…[I mean, he's a good guy]

translator: He can control the government, the country…

Notice how the Iraqi dude didn't say a damn thing about “control[ing] the government, the country”…So, does Allawi's party have “special” translators giving scripted answers? Or does the translator not speak Arabic? WTF!

Anyway, like I said before…whatever.

out

A suicide attacker killed three people and injured 13 others in central Iraq when he boarded a minibus bound for a polling station in Babil province, the Polish military said.

The blast rocked a minibus carrying voters to a polling station near Abu Alwan, the military said in a statement. An investigation into the incident has been started, it said.

No further information on the attack was immediately available.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the Iraq elections are “going better than expected” Sunday, despite conflicting reports about the extent of voter turnout in areas plagued by intimidation and violence.

“Every indication is that the election in Iraq is going better than expected,” Rice said on ABC's “This Week.”

“What we're seeing here is the voice of freedom,” Rice said in the first response to the election from the Bush administration.

“No, it's not a perfect election,” Rice conceded, but she called it a positive development no one had foreseen three years ago when Saddam Hussein was still the dictator of Iraq.

More…

/RANT ON/

And while I’m at it … 60 , 70, 80 percent turnout under threat of death and violence? And here in the States? Forty to 60%, each major election cycle, like clockwork.

This blogger stands in humble awe of the Iraqis who today risked everything … everything … to exercise their francise. From them, there is a lesson for us all.

/RANT OFF/

The polls in Iraq have closed, ending the country's first open elections in more than 50 years and setting a course for what U.S. officials hope will be a long democratic future.

More…

Alaasmary at Sun of Iraq:

Election Day

Election Day
Today we vote, today is a democracy birthday.
The people lines are very long, We heard explosions voice but we vote.
I'm very happy today, long live Iraq, long live love and long live democracy.
I will post more images here.
A suicide explosion in Al-Mansor city, Al-Sader city and in New Baghdad city near election center , but the Iraqis still insistent to vote.
We will crush the terrorists.
The democracy will win.

MSNBC TV (no link): Turnout is only 1% in Ramadi, but is closer to 5% or 6% in the province as a whole (the most violent and restive part of the country.

Iraq the Model:

We had all kinds of feelings in our minds while we were on our way to the ballot box except one feeling that never came to us, that was fear.
We could smell pride in the atmosphere this morning; everyone we saw was holding up his blue tipped finger with broad smiles on the faces while walking out of the center.

I couldn't think of a scene more beautiful than that.

Read the whole thing…

No news here — just an observation. Early this morning, in the predawn light, a dusting of new snow on the ground, I was busily switching between 5 … 10 … 15 different browser windows, each displaying the blog of a different Iraqi.

Then it struck me: How remarkable. How remarkable my process was, compared to early 2003. Remember early 2003? We were all reading one blog, more than any other: Where is Raed? Salam had us all linking and loading and commenting in the build up to the war. The only Iraqi blogger out there … such a hero, at the time, for posting from behind the Saddam Curtain.

And now? Now there are dozens … over a hundred … Iraqi blogs. For the occupation, against, in Arabic, in English, old, young, doctors, women. Look at the list … look at them all, posting their views and bringing their doorsteps to the doors of the world.

Whatever you think of the war, this you can't deny: citizen journalism is alive and well amongst the fertile crescent.

From Ryan of Cigars in the Sand, blogging from Iraq.

Every Iraqi who woke up this morning was faced with this calculus:

“Some voters today will, without a doubt, be killed either on their way to vote, waiting to vote, or actually voting. Will I risk my life today for democracy?”

And they Iraqi people have answered loud and clear: Yes. These men and women have been waiting their entire lives to make this kind of political statement.

I can't even begin to accurately capture the excitement in the air. When I've visited the polling station this morning (3 times, so far), I've seen nothing but smiles. And that is with the sound of bombs in the distance. Let's forget all the differences we have in the United States for one day, and celebrate the amazing resilience of the Iraqi populace.

Lots more. Start at the top and scroll down.

At a polling place in eastern Baghdad, an Iraqi policeman in a black ski mask tucked his assault rifle under one arm and held the hand of an elderly blind woman to guide her to the polls.

Fathiya Mohammed shrugged off the incessant threats of violence and donned her head-to-toe abaya before heading to her neighborhood polling station in the small town of Askan south of Baghdad.

“This is democracy,” the elderly woman said proudly, holding up a thumb stained with the purple ink used to mark those who had voted. “This is the first day I feel freedom.”

The elections will also give Kurds a chance to gain more influence in Iraq after long years of marginalization under the Baath Party that ruled the country for 34 years.

“This proves that we are now free,” said Akar Azad, 19, who came to the polls with his wife Serwin Suker and sister Bigat.

An Iraqi election official said Sunday that 72 percent of eligible Iraqi voters had turned out so far nationwide.

The official, Adel al-Lami of the Independent Electoral Commission, offered no overall figures of the actual number of Iraqis who have voted to back up the claim.

Al-Lami said the percentage of registered voters who had gone to the polls in some Baghdad neighborhoods was as high as 95 percent.

More…

Also:

Close to 66 per cent of registered expatriate Iraqis have so far voted in 14 countries.

The International Organisation for Migration says the largest turnout was in Jordan, where 72.9 per cent of Iraqi exiles registered to vote have done so.

A total of 186,619 people in the Middle East, North America, Australia and Western Europe have registered to take part in the election.

Voter turnout in the 2004 Presidential election in the United States was 60%.

Iraqi polls were to close an hour earlier Sunday as violence swept the country during the first free general election in more than 50 years.

Iraqi Defense Minister Hazem al-Shaalan told the Dubai-based al-Arabiya news channel at least 27 people were killed Sunday, but he insisted “we are satisfied with the current security conditions.”

His comments came shortly after six suicide attacks were reported across the country and as mortar grenades targeted polling stations.

A spokesman for the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq, Farid Ayar, did not give a reason for closing the polls at 5 p.m. local time instead of 6 p.m., but officials privately said it was due to the increased incidents of violence.

More…

The Iraqi Central Election reports that election turnout Iraqi province of Nadjaf reached 80%. The total number of the registered voters in the province is 500,000.

Chrenkoff has a nice roundup of E-Day here, with his typical Polish/Australian flair.

WSTM has a roundup of perspectives from regional news sources:

People across the Middle East are voicing cautious optimism about Iraq's elections.
An Abu Dhabi daily newspaper is jubilant, declaring “The new Iraq is born today.” Other newspapers are more guarded, concerned about the deadly chaos.

Qatar's daily says, “We don't want to drown in optimism.” The paper says attempts to democratize are “not held in such an atmosphere.”

Saudi Arabia's Arab News newspaper calls the vote a historic moment for Iraq and a “much needed victory for moderation.”

Just breaking on FOX - links/updates as they come in.

A Web site statement purportedly from insurgency leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's group claimed responsibility for the election-day attacks.

Update from AP:

A Web site statement purportedly from insurgency leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's group claimed responsibility Sunday for at least four attacks on polling centers across Iraq.

The group, Al-Qaida in Iraq, said its “lions'' attacked at least four voting centers in Baghdad, including one in the upscale Mansour neighborhood.

The statement's authenticity could not immediately be verified. It was posted on a Web site noted for carrying militant messages and it was purportedly issued in the name of the group's media coordinator, Abu Maysarah al-Iraqi.

The group claimed to have killed “police, national guards and Americans,'' without giving specifics. It also claimed responsibility for an attack on the Green Zone, the fortified Baghdad enclave holding the U.S. Embassy and Iraqi government buildings, which it called the “Black Zone.''

The group also said it was active in the cities of Mosul, Samarra and Baqouba as well as the Anbar province.

Ali in Baghdad has a long, detailed, and frankly moving description of his voting experience. Read the whole thing, but here's a sample:

The best Eid I ever had.

Last night I couldn't sleep well. I was so excited and I wanted to be at the voting center before it even opens its door. I was afraid that I was going to be among a minority who are going to vote, but I was still very happy for rather a different reason. It's that just as I care about the outcome of this election and that democracy would work in Iraq, I cared no less about voting on a personal level. This was my way to stand against those who humiliated me, my family and my friends. It was my way of saying,” You're history and you don't scare me anymore”. It was my way to scream in the face of all tyrants, not just Saddam and his Ba'athists and tell them, “I don't want to be your, or anyone's slave. You have kept me in your jail all my life but you never owned my soul”. It was my way of finally facing my fears and finding my courage and my humanity again …

… I'm still thrilled as I'm watching Iraqis vote allover Iraq through TV. Al Arabyia just reported that 6 thousand people in Fallujah have voted till now out of 60 thousands who have returned to their homes (total not voters). I listened to that and I felt enormous admiration and respect to those 6 thousand heroes. Things are difficult in Baghdad but it's still incomparable to Fallujah. I'm sure that the number will rise towards the end of the day.

I'm stil overwhelmed with thoughts and emotions that I don't know what to say more. The only things I can feel so strongly now are hope, excitement, pride and a strange internal peace. I have won my battle and I'm watching the whole Iraqis winning their battle too. I'll try to write to you later my friends.
A'ash Al Iraq, A'ashat America, A'ash Al Tahaluf. (Long live Iraq, long live America and long live the coalition)

Alaa writes:

SUICIDE BOMBERS V. SUICIDE VOTERS

Greetings Friends,

I bow in respect and awe to the men and women of our people who, armed only with faith and hope are going to the polls under the very real threats of being blown to pieces. These are the real braves; not the miserable creatures of hate who are attacking one of the noblest things that has ever happened to us. Have you ever seen anything like this? Iraq will be O.K. with so many brave people, it will certainly O.K.; I can say no more just now; I am just filled with pride and moved beyond words. People are turning up not only under the present threat to polling stations but also under future threats to themselves and their families; yet they are coming, and keep coming. Behold the Iraqi people; now you know their true metal. We shall never forget the meanness of these bas…s. After this is over there will be no let up, they must be wiped out. It is our duty and the duty of every decent human to make sure this vermin is no more and that no more innocent decent people are victimized.

My condolences to the Great American people for the tragic recent losses of soldiers. The blood of Iraqis and Americans is being shed on the soil of Mesopotamia; a baptism with blood. A baptism of a lasting friendship and alliance, for many years to come, through thick and thin, we shall never forget the brave soldiers fallen while defending our freedom and future.

This is a very hurried message, while we are witnessing something quite extraordinary. I myself have voted and so did members of my family. Thank God for giving us the chance.

Salaam for now

From Ali in Mosul:

Can you believe it!!!

The last post I promised with an arabic post about elections, but I changed my mind ;
It'll be in English.

I was so surprised when I woke up today and before I had my breakfast , I opened the TV on Ninava channel . can you guess what I saw ? you can't? ok….. I'll tell you.
People is going to election , but not incent ….actually in THOUSAND, a man said: It took me two hours standing in the long queue , and you know where ??? in AL-ISLAH AL ZIRAEE region, the most dangerous part of the city….

I am very happy so that the Iraqis are going to choose thier goverment
OOOOOOOhhh

it's 12:50 pm now, I am going to watch people when they are happy

c u

Life in Baghdad writes:

The ultimate question: “To vote or not to vote?” (I read this quote somewhere but I forgot where, I assume the source will not mind me using it)

Personally, I very much do want to vote, but up to this moment I have not decided whether I actually will. I think I’ll wait till the elections day, see how things will go and decide then. My family is afraid of voting and are asking me not to go fearing for my safety, but as I said, I have not decided yet.

Once I’ve read a very useful quote meaning that when you are forced to choose between two alternatives, choose the one that will not make you feel guilty or sorry if it turns out to be the wrong one.

Let’s apply this rule on ‘to vote or not to vote’.

If I choose ‘not to vote’, and the elections turned out to be successful, I might regret that I was not part of this process. This leads to the conclusion that I should vote.

If I choose to vote, and then something bad happens to me or to any of my family, I will surely regret my decision even if the elections succeed. This then means that I should not vote.
Oops, the rule does not apply on this case.

And today, and answer to the question:

I did.

From the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) :

The chief United Nations electoral official in Iraq says the turnout of voters in some parts of the country is exceeding expectations, despite the violence and intimidation.
[…]
Carlos Valenzuela, who helped organise today's poll, says according to initial reports, participation seemed to be exceeding expectations in some parts of the country.

In Mosul, which had seen s