US President George W Bush has hailed the Iraqi election results, congratulating the people for defying terrorist threats to "set the country on the path of democracy and freedom."
"Today, the provisional results of the election have been announced. We still await their review and certification.
"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 released on Sunday night.
"And I congratulate every candidate who stood for election and those who will take office once the results are certified," he added.
Referring to the January 30 polls, he said: "Two weeks ago, more than eight million Iraqis defied terrorists and went to the polls. The world saw long lines of Iraqi men and women voting in a free and fair election for the first time in their lives.
"The United States and our Coalition partners can all take pride in our role in making that great day possible".
However, analysts say the poll results announced yesterday, in which Iraq's Shiite majority won nearly half of the vote followed by the Kurdish alliance which captured one-quarter of the ballots, was not exactly what Bush wished.
The minority Sunnis, who have been ruling Iraq for decades, managed only a distant third with 13.8 per cent, while the US Administration was expecting a pro-Washington list to win.
{{/usCountry}}The minority Sunnis, who have been ruling Iraq for decades, managed only a distant third with 13.8 per cent, while the US Administration was expecting a pro-Washington list to win.
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