A difficult dawn for democracy

It was an election campaign colored with glittering posters flooding the country’s streets, countless party political conferences and female candidates campaigning actively on the ground. This is the new Iraq that has exceeded expectations; the Iraq that should see most foreign forces depart from the country in August and be left alone by the end of 2011. On March 7 the Iraqi parliamentary election saw 6,000 candidates compete for just 325 parliamentary seats. It was contested on the basis of an open-list system which allowed the electorate to vote and elect their own Members of Parliament, giving their vote the decisive impact that has encouraged blocs and parties to think twice about their commitment to the Iraqi population. Services like electricity and water, jobs and security are the main issues for Iraqis. Who they trust to provide these is not such a simple matter. “Iraq needs someone able to maintain