Free, Secret and MORE THAN ONE...

CANDIDATE!!!!!

UPDATE: Gotta love this:

"But for many Iraqis this election is less about ethnicity or sect than competence. In the dusty town of Khana Sul near the Syrian border, 19-year-old student Jamil Kirtohamo, a member of the Yazidi religious minority, held up the purple-dyed finger that showed he had voted.

"It's my first time voting and I'm very excited," he said, pointing to a pothole. "We want whoever wins to pave this road."

If this election is about potholes, that's a good sign.

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Gotta love this picture. Maliki gets at least one vote.



No more 99% turnout for only one candidate.

Iraqis flock to polls

"“Today is very important,” said Yaqdhan al-Hassani, 36, who monitors air conditioners at a hospital inside the fortified green zone.

“I want to ensure my future and the future of my children,” said the married father-of-three as he waited to be allowed inside the school to vote."

[---]

"In a change from the last provincial polls in January 2005, most candidates have campaigned openly, covering the streets of towns and cities with posters bearing their name and candidate number or party list. They also held public meetings and visited homes in a bid to woo votes.

Security fears prevented people from publicizing their name in the previous ballot, leaving voters to pick from closed, party lists. Many blame this system for an alleged culture of corruption that evolved in councils over the past four years."

[---]

"The scene is in stark contrast to the dark days of militia rule barely a year ago."