Iraq counts votes from first polls since US exit

This past week, the Iraqi government held its first election since the departure of US troops.  This election is an important test of the stability of the Iraqi government.  There has been some violence surrounding the election- three citizens were killed on election day, 14 candidates died prior to the election (which brought the credibility of the elections into question) as well as other organized attacks. Also, a third of Iraq's provinces did not participate in the election because of security concerns and political disputes.  These provinces were all predominantly Sunni Arab or Kurdish.  According to Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission, about 51 percent of the eligible population participated in the election.  Security was intense for the election but organized attacks still occurred but were minimized.  THe election was for the provincial councils.  These councils are responsible for naming governors to lead local reconstruction, administration and fiances, etc.  The election of these councils are considered a gauge of the current Prime Minister's popularity for next year's general election.

I found this article interesting because it demonstrates the turmoil Iraq is still experiencing, despite US as well as other states' and organizations involvement.  The turmoil Iraq experiences concerning elections demonstrates the increase need of the League involvement in handling their own regional crises.  Fair and just elections should be guaranteed for all and for Iraq to experience any sort of progress this dream needs to be realized.