UN envoy terms Iraqi parliamentary election 'successful'

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Iraqi parliamentary election for four-year term was held successful, UN envoy to Iraq Ashraf Qazi said on Thursday.

Qazi, the special representative of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, said, "All in all it is a historic day and a good day." "The signs are good. All credit first to the people of Iraq to come out and refuse to show any voter fatigue in the third vote this year and then to the government and the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI) and to all the parties who have campaigned and participated by and large peacefully," Qazi said.

"Security was very good at the (constitutional) referendum in October and they have built on that," Qazi said.

Qazi was also encouraged by what appeared to be a strong turnout in Anbar, the mainly Sunni Arab western desert province that has been a bastion of the insurgency against Iraqi Interim Government (IIG).

"We heard that turnout picked up during the day. It's very healthy," UN envoy said

http://www.irna.ir/en/news/view/menu-234/0512155300194114.htm

EDIT: Attached link. Damn purple ink is effecting my memory.........