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BAGHDAD, Iraq (February 1, 2009) - Iraqis went
to the polls on Jan. 31 to cast their ballots in the Provincial
Elections. Citizens in 14 of Iraq's 18 provinces were eligible to
vote in Saturday's elections.
Iraqi Security Forces assigned to the 8th National Police
Brigade, 2nd NP Division, were in charge of security during
Election Day in the New Baghdad district of eastern Baghdad.
Paratroopers assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne
Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad acted in a supporting
role to their ISF partners across the New Baghdad district.
Paratroopers also assisted their ISF partners across eastern
Baghdad.
ISF personnel voted Jan. 28 during a special election period in
order to allow them to focus on security during Saturday's
vote.
Polling stations across eastern Baghdad were crowded as voters
were subject to security screenings by Iraqi Policemen prior to
voting. Polls opened at 7 a.m. and closed at 6 p.m.
Schools all across eastern Baghdad were converted to polling
stations during the elections. Before heading to his local polling
station in New Baghdad an Iraqi man, who simply wanted to be called
Mohammed, expressed his excitement.
"I'm very optimistic about the vote this time around, and I feel
confident in our government," said Mohammed, a taxi driver and
father of two. "I feel this will be a new beginning for our
country, and the population knows its responsibilities to go
vote."
Each person was marked with purple ink on their index finger
after voting. The indelible ink is to symbol a casted vote and
prevents a person from casting multiple votes eliminating any
potential for voter fraud.
Campaign posters across eastern Baghdad have been a common sight
for several weeks leading up to the Provincial Elections as Iraqis
have been very involved in the political process. The mood has also
changed as many Iraqis felt Saturday's vote was the first real sign
of a growing democracy.
The scene was a far cry from the last Provincial Elections held
in 2005 where many Iraqis boycotted the elections due to fears of
violence and general lack of knowledge about candidates or
political parties.
"I did not vote in 2005 because the situation was not good
then," said Mohammed. "The violence was bad, and we did not have
specific candidates to vote for so I just chose not to vote."
Along with assisting the Iraqi government during Election Day,
Coalition Forces partnered with ISF on several operations leading
up to the election. The security operations were in order to
achieve a safe and legitimate election.
These elections were a true indicator of how far the ISF have
come since 2005. Coalition Forces played a primary role in security
procedures during the 2005 elections. This time around; however,
ISF were responsible for overall security of polling sites.
Paratroopers assigned to 3rd BCT, 82nd Abn. Div., couldn't help
but to comment on the significance of the event as they observed
Iraqi citizens heading to the polls.
"My last deployment to Iraq was in 2004, and it is amazing to
see how far Iraq has come," said Staff Sgt. Eric Gross, a native of
Cincinnati, Ohio. "This is a significant day for the people and
country of Iraq."
Results will be tallied in the coming days in order to see who
will be filling the seats in the provincial legislatures. It will
take about two months for the newly elected officials to be seated.
Provincial governments make and pass laws relevant to their region
based on the views and services of the people which elected
them.
Provincial governments can be compared to the responsibilities
of state governments back in the U.S.
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