Counting the Votes in Iraq Only the First Step
No clear winner is expected after parliamentary elections. Building a coalition to form a new government could take months.
12 March 2010
Ballot boxes from the parliamentary elections in Iraq
This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.
Iraqi officials are still counting votes from Sunday's elections. More than six thousand candidates competed for three hundred twenty-five seats in parliament.
The State of Law coalition of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki took an early lead. But full results from all eighteen provinces are not expected for days.
No single group is expected to win a clear majority. Building a coalition to form a new government could take months.
At least thirty-eight people were killed Sunday in a series of attacks in Baghdad. But the violence and threats by insurgents failed to stop millions of Iraqis from voting.
Voter turnout was lower than in the last national elections in two thousand five -- sixty-two percent compared to seventy-six percent. But it was higher than some predictions.
There have been some reports of cheating, including accusations made by the Iraqiya coalition of former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.
At the White House, President Obama noted that Sunday's voting was only the beginning of a long process. But he said the voting made it clear, in his words, "that the future of Iraq belongs to the people of Iraq."
最新
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25