International

Bush Hails News of Iraqi Election as a Success

By Liane Hansen, Tom Gjelten

Published January 29, 2005 at 9:00 PM PST

This story was published more than 19 years ago.

President Bush hails the large turnout for Iraq's national elections as a success. In an address Sunday afternoon, the president called the Iraqi vote "historic" after millions of Iraqi citizens turned out to elect a national assembly.

Insurgents seeking to disrupt the voting process staged mortar and suicide bombing attacks at polling stations in Baghdad and around the country, with more than 30 reported killed.

Analysts are now focused on the results of the election, which may not be known for a week or more. The balance of power in the assembly -- from Sunnis to Shiites to Kurds -- is expected to emerge in the next few days as the votes are tallied.

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Also at stake is whether interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi will continue to lead the nation. Hear NPR's Liane Hansen and NPR's Tom Gjelten.

International

Liane Hansen

Liane Hansen has been the host of NPR's award-winning Weekend Edition Sunday for 20 years. She brings to her position an extensive background in broadcast journalism, including work as a radio producer, reporter, and on-air host at both the local and national level. The program has covered such breaking news stories as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the capture of Saddam Hussein, the deaths of Princess Diana and John F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Columbia shuttle tragedy. In 2004, Liane was granted an exclusive interview with former weapons inspector David Kay prior to his report on the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The show also won the James Beard award for best radio program on food for a report on SPAM.

Tom Gjelten

Tom Gjelten reports on religion, faith, and belief for NPR News, a beat that encompasses such areas as the changing religious landscape in America, the formation of personal identity, the role of religion in politics, and conflict arising from religious differences. His reporting draws on his many years covering national and international news from posts in Washington and around the world.