Iraqi election a success

To Talk of many Things

"Smile heaven upon this fair conjunction, that long have frowned upon their enmity! What traitor hears me and says not amen?"

So spoke Henry, Earl of Richmond, in Shakespeare’s "Richard III" at the prospect of ending England’s bloody civil war between the royal houses of York and Lancaster. The recent election in Iraq provides reason for similar mirth, having demonstrated the iron will of people who desire the freedom to shape their own destiny. After years of vile, despotic rule and constant dangers of sectarian war among ethnic groups, an astonishing number of Iraqis braved all hazards to cast votes for a better future.

The Washington Post reported on Jan. 31 that millions of Iraqis turned out for the event on Jan. 30, the first free election in Iraq in a half-century. The endeavor was not without peril; terrorist insurgents opposed to the democratic process threatened violence against those who went to vote. At least 44 people were reported killed in suicide bombings, shootings and mortar rocket attacks. However, the insurgents were less powerful than originally feared, and countless Iraqi citizens defied their malice to exercise the right to vote. Jubilant festivities took place in many Iraqi cities as the citizens celebrated their new ability to determine how they would be governed.

The breathtaking courage required of Iraqis to play their role in evolving their country to modernity is an inspiring commentary on the human spirit. When given the opportunity, human beings are capable of opposing the most intimidating odds to achieve a flowering of goodness. The Iraqi people chose to stand up to the forces of malevolence and work toward an outcome in which they could achieve liberty, peace and happiness. By all accounts, the effort they made to vote was a victory for them and for the world.

But this episode should not trick anyone into a sense of false optimism. The endeavor to produce an effective form of government that is pluralistic and respectful of the rule of law is only beginning. The leaders who were selected by the Iraqi voters need to choose a three-person Presidential Council by a two-thirds vote, and then they must write a national constitution outlining elections for new leaders. The coalition of leaders representing the Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds will have to prove that they can work in concert by respecting the majority’s right to govern and the minority’s right to not have its liberties trampled on by the majority.

To prevent a tyrannical majority from abusing the rights of the minority, the new assembly is arranged based on proportional representation, which means that any party with just 1/275 of the vote will get one of the 275 seats in the assembly. Finally, the new government will have to demonstrate that it can provide Iraqis with basic necessities such as security, water and electricity, or else it will have little support. Therefore, one should not be overconfident about the future of Iraq, but one should be hopeful.

The challenges ahead for Iraqi self-government are formidable, just as it was a daunting task for our founding fathers to design a government that would hold the United States together as one nation. Still, the Iraqis have shown that they have the will and the courage to take up the labors of representative government. With help from the United States and others they may still succeed in bringing forth a civil society.

Human beings are capable of accomplishing astounding feats with the power of their minds and consciences, and Iraqis have looked into their nightmarish past and cried out, "Enough!" Meanwhile, the rest of the freedom-loving world responds wholeheartedly, "Amen."

Jonathan Kelly is a senior political science major.