This does sound like good news. If the preliminary reports prove accurate, then Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki and several secular parties appear to have scored significant gains in Iraq’s provincial elections that took place last Saturday

Mr. Maliki’s Dawa Party drew strong support in Basra and Baghdad, two of Iraq’s largest and most politically important provinces. Especially after many Iraqis boycotted the last provincial elections in 2005, the Americans had strongly hoped that for the provincial elections as a way to redistribute power more evenly throughout the country after.

Of course, the elections were marked by a lower-than-expected nationwide turnout of 51 percent. Various factors like voter apathy, confusion over voting procedures and internally displaced Iraqis (who no longer live in the province where they are registered to vote) contributed to the low-turnout.

But the results still point towards a more secular Iraq. Qassim Daoud, Member of Parliament and one of the leaders of an independent, secular-leaning party said, “This really reflects that Iraqi society is looking for alternatives — they do not necessarily believe that the Islamists should lead the country. The public are interested in services, and this election has shown them that they can change anything by democratic means if they are not satisfied.”

Via: New York Times