Brussels, 02/02/2009 (Agence Europe) - The EU welcomes the democratic nature of the provincial elections of 31 January in Iraq which, according to initial but still unofficial results, have been won by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's list (preliminary results are expected to be announced in the next few days and the final results in several weeks' time). Voter turn-out in all 14 provinces rose to 60% compared to 49.8% in the previous elections of January 2005. The Czech Presidency of the EU stated that it “congratulates the people of Iraq for having successfully expressed their democratic will”. In a declaration published on 1 February, the Presidency also welcomed the elections as an example of “expression of freedom”. Subsequently, they are an important step in the reconciliation process and demonstrate “the firm commitment of Iraq and its people to peace through democracy”. (H.B./transl.rh)