Iraqi Voter Turnout Heavy

So say the Washington Post and The Times of London. The two papers have a slight difference in their reporting, however. The Post leads with this:

BAGHDAD, Dec. 15 -- Iraqi voters, undeterred by early violence, went to the polls in force Thursday to elect the country's new National Assembly, which in turn will ultimately form a new government.

Among the voters were many Sunni Arabs in western insurgent strongholds taking part in national elections for the first time, in contrast to previous election boycotts by Sunnis.

If I read the news reports correctly, "violence" means a single mortar or rocket shell landed in the Green Zone as the polls opened; no casulties reported. An Iraqi hospital guard was also killed in Baghdad. Overall, turnout is reported as "high" and Sunni "insurgents" have declared an election day moratorium on attacks.

The Times opens with a contrasting description of last January's election and then goes on to say:

As Iraqis prepare to cast their ballots today, there is already a tangible sense that they have reached a milestone, not only in Iraq’s history, but also in the region’s.

...

But today, if predictions are correct, more than 70 per cent of Iraq’s 15.5 million eligible voters will cast their ballots, selecting 275 representatives in Parliament from more than 7,000 candidates. That would far exceed the turnout in most Western democracies, including Britain and America.

The polls are still open. This is, as Drudge would say, "developing."