US President George W. Bush congratulated Iraqi people and winners of the Jan. 30 election Sunday, saying the United States and its allies should "take pride in" the role they had played.
"I congratulate the Iraqi people for defying terrorist threats and setting their country on the path of democracy and freedom," Bush said in a statement after election results were announced. " And I congratulate every candidate who stood for election and those who will take office once the results are certified."
"The world saw long lines of Iraqi men and women voting in a free and fair election for the first time in their lives," Bush said. "The United States and our coalition partners can all take pride in our role in making that great day possible."
The electoral commission announced in Baghdad that the United Iraqi Alliance, the main Shiite list backed by Iraq's Shiite leader Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, won 48.1 percent of votes in the Jan. 30 parliamentary elections. It won 4.075 million votes.
A Kurdish alliance was second with 2.175 million votes, while 1. 168 million votes went to interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's list.