Iraq was carved from the ruins of the Ottoman Empire after World War I, and its values and boundaries have often been in dispute. Thursday’s parliamentary elections won’t necessarily settle the nation’s future, but they are an indispensable step toward creating a legitimate government capable of holding the country together after U.S. troops finally withdraw.
The balloting will mark the third Iraqi election this year. On Jan. 30, Iraqis elected a provisional National Assembly charged with writing a constitution. Most Sunni Arabs boycotted that voting, leading to a parliament dominated by Kurds and Shiites. On Oct. 15, voters approved the constitution in a referendum that drew substantially more Sunni voters and contained some compromise provisions meant to expand citizen participation from all the key Iraqi factions.
Now, as Iraqis choose candidates for full four-year terms in what is billed as their permanent government, more than 200 political parties representing some 7,000 candidates are competing for the 275 National Assembly seats. Sunni voters are expected to participate in much larger numbers than in January. Most observers see the growing Sunni participation as a good thing, though it may contribute to factional rivalries that threaten to split Iraq into three parts – with Kurds dominating in the north, Shiites in the south and Sunnis concentrated in the middle, depending on oil revenues raised in the other regions.
In our view, the enhanced Sunni participation is a good thing, reflecting the need for each of the groups to exert some control over their political future without a fiat from occupying overlords.
Iraqis clearly agree. A recent ABC News/Time magazine poll showed two- thirds of Iraqis disapprove of the presence of U.S. forces in their country – but 75 percent expressed confidence in the parliamentary elections, and more than two-thirds said they expected the elections to lead to better conditions.
Viewed in that light, the election of a permanent Iraqi government can give the U.S. a legitimate partner as President Bush struggles to meet his announced goals of improving the training, equipment and effectiveness of Iraqi security forces, building democratic institutions, fighting terrorists and crafting a working economy.
It may be premature to look at these elections as a turning point for Iraq. But they are an important milestone on a road that leads to American withdrawal from Iraq. Most Americans are just as eager as the Iraqis are to see U.S. troops soon travel that road home.
