Iraq poll turnout up to 75%
2005-01-31 13:54
Baghdad - The Iraqi election commission said Monday that turnout from the country's first free vote in half a century could be between 60% and 75%, although no official figure was ready.
Harith Mohammed Hassan, deputy chief of the Independent Election Commission of Iraq (IECI), said a majority of voters took part in Sunday's election in most provinces.
"We still don't have a final number but we can say it was better than expected. The final percentage could be between 60 and 75%," Hassan told reporters.
"The reports from the provinces are very good. In most of the provinces a majority of voters came out."
Referring to the Sunni stronghold provinces, Hassan said that "because of the exceptional circumstances the turnout was not high".
Baghdad and the provinces of Salahuddin, Al-Anbar, Nineveh and Diyala are where Sunni opposition to the election was concentrated.
Hassan said the vote in Nineveh, which includes the insurgent bastion of Mosul, was better than Al-Anbar, where the restive Sunni cities of Ramadi and Fallujah are located.
- AFP