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The parliamentary election in Iraq was a historic event for the Iraqi people, and also for the US.
In whatever way it is defined, the success of yesterday's poll is absolutely critical. That is why calm was imposed by a three-day traffic ban, sealed borders, heavy policing and the closure of workplaces.
That is also why the US administration tried to bolster morale before the vote.
The Iraqi election will not only choose legislators to form a government that will run the country for four years. It is also the vote that will decide when the US withdraws its troops.
Iraqis have put their lives on the line to demonstrate their confidence in the creation of a new country where they can make a difference economically and politically.
The new parliament will choose the next prime minister, with a two-thirds majority vote. The prime minister will then form a cabinet. At least 25 percent of seats will be held by women.
The constitution will be the document through which the Iraqis seek to resolve what is the hardest question facing them as a people how power is to be divided among competing elements of the population.
With the preparations elections in January and yesterday, and a referendum in October finally completed, the next question will be how long to continue the presence of US forces in the country.
Sunni leaders had stressed their prime objective was seeking a fixed timetable for the withdrawal of American troops.
Brandishing purple fingertips at the ballot box, the Sunnis have joined the political mainstream for the first time since the invasion of the US-led coalition. Turning out to vote should help reduce the level of violence in the country.
The new Iraqi government is due to take office by December 31. It will be the first permanent, fully constitutional government in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.
Extended negotiations and coalition building are expected in the next two weeks.
US President George W. Bush made four speeches ahead of yesterday's election. In the final address on Wednesday he admitted that intelligence on Saddam's weapons of mass destruction was faulty. As commander-in-chief of his country, he took full responsibility for his actions.
This mistake has killed 2,140 US soldiers and 30,000 Iraqi civilians, the latter a secret Bush unveiled in his speech on December 12.
The US administration touted Iraqi WMDs as a reason for going to war in March 2003, but no such weapons were ever found.
Then, Saddam as a dictator became the threat inviting war. This logic is loose and objectionable.
Bush's latest admission is significant. While the justification for invading Iraq is flawed, the validity of the war has fallen apart.
Uncertainty is awaiting Iraqis, even though the election has taken place. The election will hardly work as a quick fix for Iraq's problems.
There is no sign that the election of the 275-member Iraqi parliament will end the fighting. The warning from the resistance that more violence is to come rang out loud and clear.
The formation of a permanent government is unlikely to deter the insurgency or temper growing demands for an end to the occupation by the US-led coalition.
A new Iraq is emerging drenched in blood. The result of yesterday's election should serve as the basis of the next constructive steps in Iraqi and US policy.
(China Daily December 16, 2005)
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