In Amman, Oula Farawati feels the pulse of Iraqi voters The polling station that had been set up for the Iraqi elections in a girls' school in the upper middle class neighbourhood of Tla Al-li was not far from Qusai Dul Faqar's house. He watched from a window as scores of fellow nationals arrived to cast their votes in the second elections held after the ouster of the Saddam Hussein regime. "Of course I am not going to cast my vote. True Iraqis don't fall for these scams. These [candidates] are serving their agenda; they want power, not a free Iraq," Dul Faqar said. Since he fled Baghdad seven years ago, Dul Faqar made Jordan home. He said he was willing to sacrifice his political rights in return for security in Amman, where he works as a car dealer. Iraqis abroad last week voted -- or chose not to -- ahead of country voting 7 March. Jordan is one of 16 countries where out-of-country voting for Iraqi citizens was provided. Jordan hosts a large number of Iraqi refugees. The total number is controversial. The government speaks of approximately half a million, the UN of 700,000 to one million, while some NGOs estimate the number at no more than 160,000. The Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) said there are between 150,000-180,000 Iraqis of voting age residing in Jordan. A heavy Jordanian security force presence guarded the polling stations. But political analyst Mohamed Momani believes it was smart for Jordan to allow and facilitate out-of-country voting. "The success of the political process is key to achieving security. This means that the continuous evolution of the political process will speed up establishing security in Iraq, and that is a supreme interest for the countries hosting Iraqi refugees," he wrote in Al-Ghad daily on 3 March. "This ultimately accelerates [Iraqi expatriates'] return to their country, which will reduce the level of the security concerns of countries hosting them." Fears were high of possible sabotage attacks on 113 polling stations in 16 centres in Amman, Zarqa, Irbid and Madaba governorates. The IHEC said each polling station was designed to accommodate 1,200-1,500 voters over the three-day polling period. Inside the stations, around 300 monitors representing NGOs and various embassies, and 900 representing various political parties and coalitions in Iraq, observed the polls. For those who bothered to cast their votes, their hopes were simple: a democratic Iraq is more likely to become a free Iraq. Nisreen Jammal, a 25-year-old Iraqi studying for her master's degree in Jordan, wants to go back to Baghdad "as soon as possible". "I like Jordan, but I need to go back home, serve my country and have lots of kids in Iraq," she laughed as she left the polling station. For other Iraqis casting their votes, expectations were more complicated. Alaa Mazhar put fighting corruption on top of the list. He believes that a corrupt government will never be able to free Iraq from the US occupation. "Some influential officials are abusing power. You know why I voted? Because I know that this coalition grouped clean people only," he said, as he pointed to a poster with photos of Iraqiya Coalition -- headed by Iyad Allawi -- members. "Fight corruption first and only honest people will come to power. At that point we will have the security we deserve," he said. Mohamed Al-Tamimi, a merchant residing in Amman, voted for an odd reason. "Honestly, I voted because I don't want anybody else to use my vote. I represented myself because I know they will steal my vote and give it to someone that I may not want if I abstain," he said. He said he was very upset other Iraqis didn't vote because they don't believe in change. "Iraqis will form the new government. The Americans will leave sooner or later and we have to demand democracy and vote to show our commitment to that," he added. He, like many Iraqis in Jordan, yearns for return. "You know what, I visit Baghdad almost every month. Each time I go, I feel that things are better, and that the day when we go back is not far. Do I sound too optimistic? Maybe, but I am," he said. Democracy can be a painful process, some Iraqis here believe. However, they are optimistic for positive change. Above all, democracy could allow them to return.
