posted
The elections in Iraq are actually already started (for those Iraqis living outside Iraq, voting has been going on for a few days). But the real day is fast approaching -- I think the time difference is such that they'll be waking in a few hours and going to the polls.
Good luck.
I hope the insurgents don't kill ANYONE.
I hope the election results are accepted and respected.
Whatever happens, and no matter how badly I feel about our leadership's actions, elections are a chance to improve things. I hope they work.
posted
I hope Allawi doesn't win because I don't trust him. I read that he executed seven people by shooting them in the head. This bothers me for some reason.
Posts: 9942 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Syn: IIRC, it's not a general election; they're electing a "Congress" of sorts to write the Constitution and govern until the next election. Allawi isn't up quite yet.
posted
Beats shooting them in the gut. I too hope for ligetimacy and stability. This deployment would be much nicer in an optimistic Iraq. Contrary to what some say, Georgia does indeed get cold!
quote: Syn: IIRC, it's not a general election; they're electing a "Congress" of sorts to write the Constitution and govern until the next election. Allawi isn't up quite yet.
Allawi is essentially up because its going to be the members of the Iraqi parliament that will write the constitution and then most likely choose the prime minister from amongst themselves.
Posts: 3446 | Registered: Jul 2002
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posted
There were 44 deaths, 9 of which were suicide bombers so I don't know if it's fair to say it is more like 35. Not that the bombers aren't people, but I don't think they were voters and may not have been citizens. 1 US marine died. It is terrribly sad that anyone had to die in order to vote, but I would risk those odds to participate in government.
Predominantly Sunni areas had empty and in some case closed polls, which is sort of concerning. But since it is an assembly election, will those areas have representation anyway? Or is it a system where the assembly seats are allocated based on the percent the party took of the total vote? Until today, I thought there were over 80 presidential candidates. Duh.
I like the more than 2 or 3 party system. I wish we had that here.
Posts: 2010 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
I wish we had voters here who would risk missing their favorite tv show to go out and vote. It is humbling to watch these people go out and vote, knowing what they are facing.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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posted
Check out the Iraqi Flag that the kid is waving in the fifth picture. What with all the "we need new symbol for Iraq" considerations going on for the last year and a half, that particular flag seems to be the best representation of aspirations for a New Iraq.
quote: I wish we had voters here who would risk missing their favorite tv show to go out and vote. It is humbling to watch these people go out and vote, knowing what they are facing.
Amen to that. I was calling people on election day this past year to remind them to vote. It was astounding how many people just blew me off.
Posts: 1015 | Registered: Aug 2004
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posted
I am concerned that the Sunni turnout was so low. Is there really a way for a country which is divided along religious lines to be a true democracy? I mean, is this a form of government that makes sense for this culture?
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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posted
"Is there really a way for a country which is divided along religious lines to be a true democracy?"
*polite cough* Let me ask our agnostic president. He's a lot like the Christian president the Christians keep electing, but we have to keep him in an undisclosed location and none of his decisions matter except in ironic ways.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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posted
Personally, I think the Sunni boycott of the vote shows a complete misunderstanding of what a vote is for. "Let's make our voices heard by being completely quiet!"
That doesn't work. I mean, I would have expected a real power-hungry group to strong arm people and influence the vote in a way they thought was favorable. I Guess maybe they don't have that ability anymore?
Posts: 3003 | Registered: Oct 2004
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posted
Tom and Kasie, I really didn't mean to "go there."
What I am trying unsuccessfully to ask is, what kind of government could/might/will emerge in a country like Iraq? I just don't think our present style of democracy is it, or even close.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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quote: I think the Sunni boycott of the vote shows a complete misunderstanding of what a vote is for. "Let's make our voices heard by being completely quiet!"
They understand, but they also recognize that they are in the minority and, all else being equal, will not gain representation due to their minority status; the system isn't set up in a way to guarantee minority participation. So in protest of that system, some Sunnis chose to boycott the vote altogether in order to point out what they consider to be the flaws in the process.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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posted
Unfortunately, most of those guarantees have to be put in place by a legitimate authority. In our case, this was the Constitutional Convention and subsequent amendments. The former required basically a majority rule at some point, and the former, with exception of the 13th-15th, required a super majority to agree to provide those protections at some point.
They can protest all they want, but they better start participating soon if they want to have some say.
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