Not unexpected but not exactly encouraging

From the Boston Globe – “Initial tally shows a sectarian split among Iraq voters”:

The Shi'ite Islamist coalition won a commanding share of seats in Iraq's new Parliament as Iraqis apparently voted overwhelmingly along religious and ethnic lines in Thursday's election, according to partial results released yesterday.

The preliminary results offered an early indication of the shape of Iraq's first democratically elected parliament under a new constitution adopted following Saddam Hussein's ouster.

The initial results suggest that a government that was heavily secular and nationalist under Hussein will become far more religious and sectarian in character, with Shi'ite and Sunni Muslim parties dominant, raising the chances of sectarian tension for years to come.

Although this has been trumpeted (correctly) as the “freest election in the Arab world” it would have been better if the secular parties gained more seats. We’ll have to wait and see if nationalistic feelings can overcome religious sectarianism.