A Sense of Fragile Hope Successful Election Provides New Opportunity for Iraq

Summary

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IN THE chaos and bloodshed that have engulfed Iraq since the allied invasion of 2003, it is easy to forget its people's aptitude for spontaneous eloquence. One of the 15 million Iraqis eligible to vote in yesterday's elections told a television reporter: "Iraq is like a ship in a storm being tossed from left to right, and nowwe need a new captain to take us to land and safety."

There was a sense of fragile hope in Iraq yesterday, a sense that it is just possible that the country is moving towards a new beginning. It was strongly reminiscent of January, when the purple- stained fingers of those who voted for the provisional government became a symbol of political optimism, but with one important difference. Then, the 20-per cent Sunni minority who had governed the country for a generation, boycotted the election out of fear and distrust. Having seen themselves cut out of the bargaining process to establish the shape of a new constitution, this time they flocked to the polls, even in rebel strongholds such as Ramadi and Falluja. The implied threat from al Qaeda in Iraq, who condemned the process as the "wedding of heresy and immorality", fell on deaf ears. Because of the way the constituencies are constructed and votes allocated, the Sunnis are nowvirtually guaranteed a solid block of seats in the new Council of Representatives. In itself this will give the government a new sense of legitimacy in dealing with the (largely Sunni) insurgency and building new institutions. These in turn will determine the timetable forwithdrawal of American and British troops, whose presence is widely resented.

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A Sense of Fragile Hope Successful Election Provides New Opportunity for Iraq

Maintaining progress is essential if the new government is to capitalise...

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