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Photo credit: Reuters/Yahoo!

It’s a big day in Baghdad and the rest of Iraq as citizens head to the polls to vote on the country’s proposed new constitution. There are some grave concerns about the document, but Roman Martinez, who served as political adviser to U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad, writes at NRO:

The new charter can promote stability and order, yet without setting every decision permanently into stone. Constitutional flexibility will actually strengthen democracy, by allowing internal debate to ripen and reflect the broadest diversity of views. Most importantly, of course, it will speed along the Sunni community’s gradual integration into Iraq’s new democratic order.

For all its historic significance, then, Saturday’s referendum will not mark the last word in Iraq’s political evolution. Once the new constitution passes, the Iraqi political debate will only just be starting to heat up.

Perhaps this is why the terrorists are fighting so desperately to keep voters away from the polls. The WaPo late tonight files a report on scattered bombings; the NYTimes reports on a Baghdad blackout “possibly from an explosion and possibly an insurgent act of sabotage.” It was, however, “expected to have little impact on the voting, which starts at 7 a.m. Power gradually began returning to Baghdad around 1 a.m.” More on tightened security measures from AP.

Mohammed at Iraq the Model weighs in:

Only hours separate us from a major historic day for our nation (too many historic days for Iraq in these two years!). Tomorrow will draw a line that would mark the beginning of a new era in Iraq; a constitutional Iraq will become reality.

It’s only a beginning since there will be more steps to go but it’s the right beginning because it’s a transition from temporary laws to a permanent-though amendable-constitution on which the people will assume control through their elected representatives and through their own direct votes.

It is really amazing how things have changed in Iraq; three years ago Saddam “won” 100% of the votes in a pathetic referendum that he designed in order to give legitimacy to his reign while yesterday even security detainees were allowed to express their opinion on the constitution through voting and the government and parliament are almost begging the 15 million plus voters to say ‘yes’!

And although many signs indicate that the document is on its way to be ratified, no one can say it is until the people decide which checkbox to tic tomorrow.
Some people would say “Is that all you won, after more than two years of war and violence? That’s only one basic right” well, that is the point; we’ve secured one key right that can help us secure the rest.

Approving this draft is not the end goal, it’s a step among others in this process of evolution in Iraq and it’s going to be the gate to more steps until we reach the day when we have a constitution that satisfies and serves the greatest majority of the people…

Cheers.

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The San Francisco Chronicle has a good primer on the referendum basics.

Retired Maj. Gen. Robert Scales takes a look at the emerging Iraqi army.

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Others blogging…

As noted earlier, Chester will be liveblogging the election. Shawn Wasson at BareKnucklePolitics is doing the same. Smash has a round-up.

Kerry at Literal Thoughts has an inspired post on Iraqi voter turnout. (Hat tip: Blackfive)

Meanwhile, here’s the latest from online journalist extraordinaire Michael Yon from Iraq.

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Related: If you haven’t read Mohammed’s message to Cindy Sheehan, posted at Iraq the Model on Aug. 12, now is the perfect moment to click over.

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10/15 update 10:45EDT. Polls closed this morning:

As polls closed at 5 p.m. (10 a.m. EDT), people in Baghdad fired guns into the air in celebration. Some Iraqis passed out sweets in the street, just ahead of the end of the day’s Ramadan fast.

Insurgents attacked five of Baghdad’s 1,200 polling stations with shootings and bombs, wounding seven voters, but there were no major attacks reported as U.S. and Iraqi forces clamped down with major security measures around balloting sites.

The United States hopes the constitution will be approved so Iraqis can form a permanent, representative government and secure the country so Washington can start withdrawing its 150,000 troops.

7pm EDT update. Austin Bay has a terrific round-up on Constitution Day, including insights from an Iraqi friend.