By MARY LYNNE O'NEAL

Staff Writer

According to NPR's Feb. 13 installment of "Weekend Edition," The Shiite United Iraq Alliance captured 48 percent of Iraqi votes from the country's recent election, with the Kurdish party following with 25 percent.

The main job of the newly-elected National Assembly is to write a new consitution for the country. Party leaders say the minority Sunnis, who voted in even smaller numbers than expected, will be included in the government.

For almost two years, U.S. military and officials have set out to free the Iraqi people from a dictatorship, and with Saddam Hussein in custody and the previous government overthrown, Iraq is in the process of creating a new democracy.

President George W. Bush congratulated the Iraqi people in a speech at the White House Jan. 30, the first day of the recent Iraqi democratic elections.

"In great numbers, and under great risk, Iraqis have shown their commitment to democracy," Bush said.

"By participating in free elections, the Iraqi people have firmly rejected the anti-democratic ideology of the terrorists ... and they have demonstrated the kind of courage that is always the foundation of self-government."

The U.S. State Department released statements from world leaders, who praised the courage and determination of the Iraqi people in going to the polls.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said he was moved and humbled by the Iraqi response.

"A democratic Iraq is not just a giant step for Iraq itself," Blair said. "It is a blow right at the heart of global terrorism."

Jordan's King Abdullah II said he is optimistic that Iraq's election will set a good tone for the Middle East.

"If we have good examples of democratic process, whether it's in Iraq or with the Palestinians, it does help countries such as Jordan to be able to push the envelope," Abdullah said.

The U.S. State Department said large numbers of Iraqis voted at 5,216 polling centers around Iraq.

More than 265,000 Iraqis participated in the Out-of-Country Voting program, held in 14 countries worldwide, with 94 percent who registered reportedly voted.

The Associated Press reported that election officials had expected to release final results last Thursday from the vote for a National Assembly, provincial councils and a regional parliament for the Kurdish north.

The Christian Science Monitor reported these statistics regarding the Iraqi elections in their Jan. 28 edition:

-- All Iraqis 18 years or older were eligible to vote, with proof of citizenship; Iraq's population is more than 24 million people, but only 15.5 million are eligible to vote.

-- The national election will establish a 275-member transitional national assembly that will select a cabinet, prime minister and a president and will draft a new constitution to be presented for approval in October 2005.

-- There were approximately 7,700 candidates competing for a seat on the National Assembly.

-- Iraqis did not choose a specific name from a list of candidates, nor did they select a specific political party; they chose one of 111 lists of multiple parties and interest groups.

-- The vote will ultimately cost more than $150 million; The U.S., Japan and the European Union have already pledged $120 million.

Violence has been on the rise since the elections, the AP reports, and Iraqi officials announced they would seal the country's borders for five days this month for a major Shiite holiday.

The Washington Post reported that Pentagon authorities have decided to reduce the level of U.S. forces in Iraq next month by about 15,000 troops, dropping the number from 150,000 to 135,000.

"I think that we'll be able to come down to the level that was projected before this election," Paul Wolfowitz, U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary, said.

Another Pentagon official said that the removal of the troops does not necessarily show an improvement in the security situation in Iraq, but U.S. forces specifically assigned to the election were no longer needed.