The general election of Iraq was held on January 30 as scheduled amidst constant bomb explosions. On the evening of January 29, the US Embassy in Iraq suffered a rocket bomb attack, leaving two Americans dead and four wounded. By 19 o'clock (Beijing time) on January 30, several suicide bombing explosions caused at least 22 deaths and several dozen injuries.

According to the electoral plan, 275 seats will be elected for the transition parliament and then a transition government will be generated, a permanent constitution will be enacted before August 15, which will be put to referendum before October 15. Due to the fact that this first postwar Iraqi election was held under the circumstance of continued presence of foreign troops and hence determined Iraq's future state system, the nature of state power and the redistribution of political power, therefore it received universal attention from Iraq's surrounding countries, the Arab world and the international community.

The postwar Iraqi election is a special election ridden with difficult problems and disputes. The postwar chaotic situation is complicated, caused by the derivative evil consequence of the mistaken war, plus the prisoners abuse scandal by US-UK troops stationed in Iraq and the crimes of their butchering the civilians, as a result, the United States gets little support for its unjustness on the Iraq issue. It's thus clear that America's utmost effort to bring about Iraq's election is aimed at retrieving its image and creating conditions for its troops withdrawal from Iraq as soon as possible. Conversely, a delayed election would mean yielding to Iraq's anti-US forces, as starter of the Iraq war, the United States is naturally unwilling to bear the heavy political price.

Another difficult problem in Iraq's general election is the dispute triggered off by the legality and representativeness of the election. Among Iraq's total population of 26 million, the Islamic Shiites account for about 60 percent, the Sunnites about 20 percent, the rest are Kurds in the north and other tribes. In the period when Saddam Hussein was in power, the Sunnites who were in the minority of the population held the ruling position. Since Iraqi election inevitably triggers the redistribution of political power, different factions' attitudes toward the election are varied: Long oppressed Shiites take an active part in the election, the Sunnites with a sense of loss collectively boycott the election, the already profited Kurds treat the election steadily. The Shiites look forward to freeing themselves through the election, while the Sunnites and the armed forces of the opposition faction think that the election held under foreign armies' occupation lacks legality and justness. On the other hand, some electors give up their rights to vote or dare not to cast their votes, this is bound to lower the representativeness of the election. US President George W. Bush once indicated that Iraq's postwar election was a "democratic attempt", and its political significance was far more important than the result.

It should be noted that Iraqi election and the future situation of the country are still hard to shake off outside influence. Superficially, the chaotic situation before and after the Iraqi election gives America an opportunity to weaken its war responsibility; Fundamentally, Iraq's general election is part of the "Greater Mid-east Plan" for the United States to carry out its democratic reform in the Middle East. Since the "Sept. 11" incident in 2001, the United States has restrained Arab countries and the Islamic world by the two tactics of "counter-terrorism lineation" and "political reform". Over the past three years and more, through the two wars against Afghanistan and Iraq and the three general elections in Afghanistan, Palestine and Iraq, the United States has sounded the gongs and drums for it to begin transforming the political domains of the Middle East, designed to explore methods for Mid-east "democratization process", and pave the way for Washington to strengthen its military presence in the Middle East and its strategy of political influence. After the beginning of President Bush's second term of office, the United States again listed countries including Iran as the "tyrannical strongholds", this presages that the United States will continue to step up its implementation of the "Greater Mid-east Plan".

The present general election in postwar Iraq places hope on and involves the fear of the international community. As a friendly country of Iraq, China is willing to see that Iraqi election could produce positive effect on the country's effort for peace and stability and realization of independence and sovereignty.

Published on the front page of People's Daily (Overseas Edition) January 31, 2005, the above article was translated by People's Daily Online