Iraqi voters defy terrorist threats

By Saif Ahmed in Anbar, Mohammed al-Qaisi in Baghdad, Muhanned Basim in Mosul and Husam Haddad in Basra
For Al-Shorfa.com
2010-03-17

[MUJAHED MOHAMMED/AFP/Getty Images] Iraqi women vote in the northern city of Mosul on March 7th.

The sound of explosions could be heard in several areas across Anbar, but that did not stop Iraqis from flocking to the polls to vote in the March 7th parliamentary elections.

Haitham Abdul Jabbar heard a blast from his house while preparing to go out to vote, but he was undeterred.

"My ambition for change made me go to the ballot boxes although I heard the sound of explosions," he said. "I know that the enemies of Iraq are behind these explosions."

Abdul Jabbar was not the only one who defied threats from al-Qaeda and other armed groups seeking to prevent citizens from participating in the election. Surprising even some officials, thousands of Anbar residents went to the ballot boxes on March 7th.

"All the polling centres saw high voter turnout," said Khalid Rajab, director of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) office in Anbar. "Instructions were given to lift the curfew on all passenger vehicles to transport the citizens to the polling centres."

The Iraqi government declared a curfew on vehicles, bicycles, and motorcycles beginning on Saturday evening (March 6th) to prevent terrorist attacks and protect voters and polling centres.

An estimated 62.5% of Iraqis voted in the elections.

Noufa Abd Sattar, 65, also ignored the explosions.

"My last will to all the members of my family was to go to the ballot boxes and elect those who they feel are honest and loyal to Iraq," she said.

Saeed al-Helwa and his family left their home at 6:30 a.m. and walked more than a kilometre to the polling centre in central Basra where they voted for their representatives in the next parliament. In spite of the long distance, he was eager to arrive early.

"I want to be the first one to vote in the parliamentary election in Basra together with my family," he said.

Heba Majeed, 19, said she was not planning to participate in the election. "However, the scenes of explosions in some polling centres in Baghdad made me go to vote in order to not allow somebody else to determine my fate."

According to security and IHEC sources, the high turnout in Basra came from all areas of the province, especially outside the city.

"No terrorist attacks or security breaches took place in all areas across the province throughout election day," said Col. Kareem al-Zaidi of the media office at Basra Police Command, before polling centres closed at 5:00 p.m.

Ahmed Hussain stood with his wife and children in a long queue in front of a polling centre in Mosul, waiting to vote in the Iraqi parliamentary election.

"This election will serve Iraq and secure the future for us and our children," he said. "We hope that the post-election Iraq will be a secure and violence-free Iraq."

Hussain was one of more than one million Iraqis who voted in Ninawa to elect candidates to fill the province's 31 seats in the next parliament, according to statistics from the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC).

After waiting for more than an hour in line, Hussain voted. "This election will draw a new political map in Iraq and will determine the internal and external policies of Iraq in the future. Therefore, we must participate in it," he said.

Although some security breaches occurred in the province, voters continued to flock to the polling centres. According to IHEC office in Ninawa, voter turnout was 67.3%.

Along the road to the polling centre where 22-year-old Ahmed Nazim voted, a bomb exploded before he arrived, leaving no casualties.

"The terrorist attacks did not and will not stop us because we hope to have an Iraq free of violence; an Iraq that embraces everyone without discrimination," he said. "This dream will be realised only through democracy, which is represented in this election."

Hasna Salman, 57, left the polling centre with her hand raised in the air, showing the purple stain on her finger.

"We hope that the results of this election will be the real salvation for the Iraqis after what we have been through in recent years," she said.

"I am here to determine who is going to represent me in the Iraqi parliament," said Nadia Sami, 22. "I hope that the new members of parliament will pay attention to the category of young people, because it is the one that will determine the future of Iraq."

On the day of the election, Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani commented on some of the security breaches that took place. "The security events that took place this morning with the start of voting are not considered a security breach because the security agencies were able to deal with the challenges that took place this morning and to fully control the situation. These acts are expected and are aimed at intimidating the Iraqi vote," he told Mawtani.com.

"I decided to make up for the mistake I made in 2005 when I did not vote and to go to the election one way or another," Abdullah Saeed, 30, a Fallujah resident, said. "The bombings made me get out of my house and take my personal identity card with me to vote."

"My vote is my life and freedom," said Wafaa Amer, 45, a citizen from Mosul. "In the first few hours, they tried to intimidate us and prevent us from going, but we are sick of them and their threats. We went to the polls and voted for the one we chose without any fear or hesitation. Iraq is not electing today, but it is rising."

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