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**BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) – Vote-counting at polling stations across Iraq is beginning Thursday night, after Iraqis turned out in droves to elect their first full-term parliament since the ouster of Saddam Hussein. **
Turnout was so heavy across the country that the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq gave provincial governments the discretion to keep polls open an hour past its 5 p.m. closing time. It was not clear where polling stations exercised this leeway.
Polling stations would close after the last person to arrive in line by 6 p.m. votes, IECI spokesman Farid Ayar said.
Also streaming to the polls were Sunni Arabs, who had stayed away from the polls in previous elections only to find they barely had a voice in government.
The high turnout was remarkable, considering curfews, bulked-up security, border closings, road closures and traffic bans across the country. In some cases, voters had to take long walks to get to polls. Many were seen happily thrusting their purple ink-stained fingers at photographers – the colored fingers a symbol of Iraq’s free elections.
Scattered violence was also reported.
Nonetheless, one volunteer poll worker in Baquba deemed it “a special day.”
“It’s the beginning of our new life,” said Buthana Mehdi, a schoolteacher.
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"It's the beginning of our new life," said Buthana Mehdi, a schoolteacher.
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and then road side bomb goes off and ends his "new life" of freedom
Kaleem a high turnout rather than low turnout is good news in the sense that the new goverment will more likely be seen as valid and there is a better chance that violence in Iraq will drop off. The goverment will be a mixed bag and it will be interesting to see which directions they go towards. So many things can happen. Do Iraqis want mullahs from Iran controlling them, I doubt it.
Kaleem, I'm not wishing for anything. I just think with the new found power they have, they'll have a chance to pick up the baton from the sunni sect which hasn't done much to advance Islam in recent history.