The Iraqi general election is only a day away and Andrew Sullivan asks:

How do we tell if the Iraqi elections are a success? That they happen at all? Surely we should have a higher standard than that. Here are my criteria: over 50 percent turnout among the Shia and Kurds, and over 30 percent turnout for the Sunnis. No massive disruption of voting places; no theft of ballots. Fewer than 500 murdered. Any other suggestions for relevant criteria?

The fact that the elections are proceeding at all and on schedule is a success in my book, despite all my optimism I was leaning towards a postponement. Still, Andrew is right to point out that now that they’re on, we need a higher standard. In addition to all his quantitative criteria I would add one that has more to do with quality and that is a good result. Above all we should hope - and the system of proportional representation is of some help here - that no party gets the upper hand but that at the same time the resulting coalition is strong enough to stabilize the country and neutralize terror while adhering to the basic democratic principles on which the new Iraq will be built. We're hoping and looking for a very fine balance. This is not the answer we will have on Monday morning, but we’ll know if the outcome of the election is likely to support such a scenario.

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