Iraqi prime minister calls for unity

? A day after Iraq’s first free election in half a century, interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi called on his countrymen to unite and promised to reach out to the country’s alienated Sunni Arab minority. The Sunni reaction may determine whether the electoral euphoria can be translated into the stability that has eluded Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003.

Iraqi officials and leaders abroad seconded Allawi’s call, saying they hoped the vote and an inclusive government could prove a turning point for a country that has endured 35 years of dictatorship, as well as bloodshed and hardship in the U.S. occupation that followed.

Iraqi election officials move ballot boxes to a central collection point in Baghdad, Iraq. Iraqi and American forces escorted election officials with ballots and tally sheets to safety for tabulation of Sunday's landmark election.

“The terrorists now know that they cannot win,” Allawi said in a statement Monday from Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, which endured a rocket attack the day before the election that killed two people.

The need for national reconciliation emerged as a theme in the wake of Sunday’s elections, as Iraqis awaited the results and the naming of a 275-member parliament that will appoint a government and write a constitution. In Baghdad and some other parts of Iraq, the vote generated scenes of jubilation. But it apparently failed to draw large numbers of Sunnis, especially in rural areas. Many stayed away in protest or because of intimidation.

Allawi promised to work to ensure that “the voice of all Iraqis is present” in the future government. “As we did yesterday to end dictatorship, let us go together toward a bright future — Sunnis and Shiites, Muslims and Christians, Arabs, Kurds and Turkmens,” he said.

Poll workers on Monday finished a preliminary count and began dispatching returns to the Green Zone, which serves as headquarters for the interim government. A staff of 200 clerks, working around the clock on 80 computers, will tally the votes.

Perhaps as early as today, the commission will begin releasing results. But it will take at least 10 days to know the entire outcome, said Adil Lami, a top official with the Independent Electoral Commission.