More Iraqis go to the polls than Europeans and Americans

More Iraqis go to the polls than Europeans and Americans

I've been reading alot of speculation and comment about the Iraqi Election Day, violence, extreme security and voter turnout. The Iragis are voting today for the first time in over 50 years. They are to elect a national parlement whose job it will be to make a new constitution for a fledgling democratic Iraq. A great number of women have been seen at the voting stations in a land where women are generally not seen on the streets. The Sunni ethnic minority, poor losers after the Saddam Hussein ousting, have called for a boycott of elections. Official observers estimate a 57% turnout by the end of election day throughout the country. In many regions 90% of the voters are turning out in an atmoshere of dancing and joy at being a part of the creation of a new free Iraq. Western reporters have lamented the relatively poor voter turnout in zones of high risk, called the Triangle of Death, mentioning 33% as a probable figure.

Now tell me this:

What is the average voter turnout in any given local election in many democratic nations such as France, England and the United States?

About 33% and that in a non threatening atmosphere inside an un-occupied country.

What may keep some Iraqis away from the polls on this election day?

The fear of death in the face of day to day terrorist bombings as they head for the polling station.

What usually keeps Americans, French, Spanish, Brits et al... away from the polls on any given election day?

The fear of missing some of the football game on tv, catching a cold on the way to the polling station under the rain, or the heat, taking a little time out from the daily routine or stopping to think for a moment ...

Best wishes to the Iraqi people.