Richard Beeston, Diplomatic Editor of The Times, says voters in Baghdad are optimistic and even Sunnis in restive Anbar province are queueing to vote

"I've just been for a walk - you can't drive anywhere because of the risk of suicide bombs - to a couple of polling stations near my hotel in Baghdad, and voting is brisk. There are lots of people turning up: old ladies being driven in by police, young couples and so on.

"Somebody described it to me as being like a wedding party, which is over the top, but there is a very relaxed mood. People were extremely optimistic that they were taking part in something that would really change the country.

"We've got staff in three areas of Baghdad and in other parts of the country, where the story seems to be the same. In Fallujah the voting is so intense and the lines so long that they've actually run out of ballot papers.

"And Iraqi television is reporting that one of the main insurgent groups here has their gunmen out providing security for a polling station in Anbar province, which is amazing - a big, big change compared to the interim election in January.

"The American patrols are light in Baghdad, although there are a lot of helicopter operations. Most of the security is being provided by the Iraqi police and army, and they're reasonably relaxed. We did see some evidence of violence - the largest of the Shia religious parties has its offices nearby, and there were two mortar rounds fired at it this morning - but by Baghdad standards it was low key.

"The polling station officials say that this is the third time this year that they've had to conduct an election, so they know what they're doing.

"So my feeling is that what's been requested of the Iraqi people is being delivered. The question is whether their leaders can now deliver on the next stage, whether they can work together to build a democratic nation.

"To have a representative Sunni group in parliament will make a big difference, although it doesn't mean that the insurgency will stop overnight. Quite a lot of people expect it to be like Northern Ireland, where Sinn Fein participated in elections but maintained their armed wing.

"It's pretty clear from the way that the constitution has been devised that it would be almost impossible for two parties to dominate as is the way with the Sunnis and Kurds at the moment, so the Sunnis will be in there after all the horse-trading. One thing we'll certainly see is a reduction in the huge Shia lists which won such a big majority in the last government.

"Interestingly, our straw polls - and this is strictly unscientific - suggest that Iyad Allawi, the former prime minister, is doing well with middle-class secular Iraqis, both Shia and Sunni. Some people are fearful that the result of this election will exacerbate sectarian and ethnic divisions, that people will just vote along those lines.

"In that sense, a strong vote for Allawi is a positive development, because his is a nationalist party with support from all major groups, a Shia with important Sunnis on his list. So it's an encouraging sign. If this country stays together that voice has to be heard too."

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