Although no official vote figures have been released, authorities estimate just under 70 per cent of Iraq's 15 million registered voters cast ballots Thursday.
The big turnout - particularly among the disaffected Sunni Arab minority that boycotted the election of a temporary legislature last January - have boosted hopes that increasing political participation may undermine the insurgency and allow U.S. troops to begin pulling out next year.
Democratization is a process, not an event. But it's a process that seems to be moving ahead.
