Election Winners and Losers

"There have been all sorts of analysts commenting on last weekend's elections. Though official results will not be released until later, many experts agree that the seculars have emerged as the winners in the larger cities.

Journalists reporting from Iraq report that the Supreme Council came out the loser. The Iran-backed Hakims have disappointed the Iraqi people. The election was widely expected to show gains for the law-and-order bloc of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, giving him a major boost ahead of a parliamentary election at the end of the year.

My family in Baghdad, who all voted, said they hear the seculars did well, which was to be expected. They said nobody wants anyone linked to Iran. They also said Al Maliki did well because he wants Iraq to remain united, while Hakim's gang supported the fragmentation of the country. Nobody is surprised the religious parties did better in the countryside, which has always been more traditional. Even the communists did well [Arabic] in the cities. Do critics really want to insist that democracy is not developing in Iraq?"
IraqPundit