President Hamid Karzai has been following today's elections in Iraq closely. He is extremely pleased that reports coming from Iraq speak of a higher than expected turnout in today's elections.

The President said: "It seems that, despite some violence, many Iraqis have come out to vote, which is encouraging. I am happy for the people of Iraq and hope that today's elections will be another important step on the path of achieving stability, democracy and prosperity for our Iraqi brothers and sisters." Jawed Ludin - Spokesman to the President/Director of Communications