Iraqis festive on election day

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Pfc. Jalal Hassan guards the entrance to a Baghdad polling site Saturday. The lack of election day attacks boosted Iraqi army morale and won over Iraqi civilians.


Iraqis festive on election day
By James Warden, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Sunday, February 1, 2009

BAGHDAD — Iraqis in the capital greeted their first elections in four years with family strolls to polling sites and a relaxing afternoon with friends.

A holiday spirit, not violence, prevailed as voters headed to the polls for Iraq’s provincial elections.

Isa Hussein was enjoying the spirit in the air Saturday while escorting his two daughters to a Ghazaliyah polling station, while his neighbors lounged on lawn chairs with ink-stained fingers.

"Today is a big difference compare to 2005," Hussein said. "Today is a good step forward to the future."

Streets were empty of cars and trucks due to a vehicle ban aimed at protecting election sites from car bombs. That left local residents plenty of space to play on streets normally congested with Baghdad’s growing number of vehicles. All along Haifa Street, boys got together for pick-up soccer games.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=60388