Real milestone.

(From Philippine Daily Inquirer)

WE were among the many who feared that American mistakes and anti-American insurgents would spell doom for the elections in Iraq. We are glad that the long-suffering Iraqi people proved us wrong.

The final tally won't be complete for a few more days, but already it seems clear that millions of Iraqis-as many as eight million, out of the 14 million who registered-turned out to vote. The numbers were higher in Shiite-dominated and in semi-autonomous Kurdish areas. The outcome in the so-called Sunni triangle, the epicenter of the insurgency, was lower, but still higher than initially expected.

The voting did not come without cost. In too many cities, the threat of sudden death, through car bombs or mortar shells, was all too real. Insurgents, who had warned Iraqis they would be killed if they voted, claimed at least 35 lives on election day.

But the violence may have emboldened ordinary Iraqis, rather than cowing them. A physical therapist in Baghdad, Batool Al Musawi, told The New York Times: "And then, hearing those explosions, it occurred to me-the insurgents are weak, they are afraid of democracy, they are losing. So I got my husband, and I got my parents, and we all came out and voted together."

So did millions of others. The result was a vindication of the stand of both the senior Shiite leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, and US President George W. Bush. Both had pressed for early elections, if for different reasons, and both persisted despite a worsening insurgency, again for different reasons.

Of course, it is too early to say whether post-Saddam Iraq has already turned a corner. Only legislative seats were at stake in last Sunday's elections. The next steps are by no means easy: they involve the selection of a president, two vice presidents, and a prime minister; the drafting and ratification of a new constitution; and the conduct of new elections-all before the end of the year, and all while a desperate insurgency continues to rage.