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Tue 02 Feb 2005Opportunity for IraqThe results of Iraq's elections have released a real political process of fundamental significance for the country's future, notwithstanding their evidently flawed pedigree. The overall turnout, at 58 per cent of registered voters, compares well with long established democracies. It conceals much higher participation rates among Kurdish and Shia voters, and of secular ones in key centres, despite the minuscule involvement of Sunni communities in areas where the insurrection is strongest and where boycotts and intimidation prevented people voting.