Iraq Elections: Historic Achievement
On December 15 the people of Iraq elected a new assembly, called the Council of Representatives, completing a three-stage electoral cycle aimed at establishing a democratic government. The cycle began in January with the election of a Transitional National Assembly tasked with drafting a new constitution. The second stage took place in an October referendum in which 78 percent of Iraqi voters endorsed the proposed charter. President Bush has called the democratic process in Iraq "a remarkable transformation for a country that has virtually no experience with democracy."
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