Unfortunately, a vote in Iraq does not come without attacks by insurgents hoping to deter democracy. Thankfully, Iraqis were not easily discouraged, and despite attacks that killed 36 turnout was strong, though numbers aren't available just yet. The parliamentary elections put forth 6,200 candidates for 325 seats in the second full-term legislature to be elected since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.Initial results are going to emerge when about 30 percent of polling stations are counted, and by the look of those wallpaper-sized ballots that's not going to be a swift task. So, officials are urging patience, reports Al-Jazeera:
"Iraq's electoral commission has urged Iraqi political parties to wait for the announcement of official results before declaring victory in the country's parliamentary poll.Farag al-Haidary, the chairman of the commission, made the appeal in a news conference on Sunday as election officials began counting the ballots following the close of polls.
'The commission calls on all political parties leaders and the Iraqi people to wait until the election outcomes are formally and officially released, as the commission needs a great amount of time in order to reach the rightful conclusion,' he said.
'So far no tangible results have been reached.
'[But] there is no doubt that the outcome will pave the way for a new era of democratic system and peaceful rotation of power.'"
Agence France-Presse kept track of election day with a live report.
(Photo by Muhannad Fala'ah /Getty Images)
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