While the Iraqis head to the polls for the third time this year, the early-morning voting was quite peaceful in northern city of Kirkuk where tension was mounting prior to the election.

The US as well as Iraqi security forces were guarding 267 polling stations across the town throughout the day. Press members were allowed to take pictures in only two polling centers. There were three monitors at the ballot boxes, one Turkmen, one Kurdish, and one Arab. The ballots papers distributed were put into the transparent-plastic boxes after they were marked in the closed cabins. The voters then had their right-hand index fingers marked with Indian ink. Nedve Salihi, a Turkmen woman, the head of the Electoral Commission at Ata Terzibasi School, said the voting process was peaceful; however, they detected one Kurdish citizen of voting four times.

Tension increased as the Iraqi Electoral Commission took a last minute decision to allow over 200,000 suspicious Kurdish voters to cast a vote and as the Iraqi Turkmen Front (ITF) was attacked the night before (Wednesday night). The Turkmen, unwilling to vote in the January 30 election, were more enthusiastic about the voting Thursday.

The Commission extended the voting time one hour due to the high turnout and the long lines of people at the polling stations.

Taha Mullah Ali, 80, coming to the polling station on a wheelchair under his wife's escort, said he came to cast his vote even though he is a diabetic: "Today is a day of celebration for us; we lost many martyrs to these lands. God willing, we will retain these lands."

Mahsum Alley, a Kurdish person, who voted at the same ballot box, said Kurdish people came to the station with their own flags, just as Turkmen came with their own flags: "We voted for the Kurdish alliance; we want to live together with the Turkmen."

The Kurdish voters were taken to the polling stations by bus. Some Kurds have already started early celebrations without waiting to see the results. The flag of Kurdistan has been attached to the Kirkuk Citadel.

Although Kirkuk is the fourth largest city of Iraq, a nine--deputy quota was allowed to represent the city, which provoked reaction from Turkmen who argued this was done to prevent Turkmen from sending more deputies to the parliament.

Hasan Turan, a member of the city council, said Sunni Arabs and Shiites will complain about thousands of Kurdish voters being taken to the town to vote by bus and trucks. Turan added, they will demand that the election be repeated under the supervision of the United Nations (UN), claiming that names of some Turkmen were removed from the rolling lists.

Saadetting Ergec, the ITF leader, who voted in the Nuseb al-Ansari School, Kirkuk, said voter turnout is enough to be satisfied with, and the election results will strengthen the Turkmen all the more; however, he added, they could not agree to allow the Kurds that came to Kirkuk later to vote.

By Ercan Gun
www.zaman.com