WAR IN IRAQ / » archive
page: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13
Sunnis Reject Early Iraq Election Results,
Calling for Inquiry
By EDWARD WONG
New York Times
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Dec. 20 - Sunni Arab leaders angrily
rejected early election results on Tuesday, saying
the vote had been fixed in favor of Iranian-backed
religious Shiites and calling for an investigation
into possible fraud. Secular politicians also denounced
the results and demanded an inquiry.
The growing fury threatened to build into a protracted
confrontation that could delay the formation of
the new four-year government.
That process is already expected to take weeks,
if not months. American diplomats here are pushing
Iraqi politicians to speed up the negotiations so
as not to lose momentum from the elections last
Thursday.
The rejection of the early results, the first of
which were released Monday, also raised the possibility
that Sunni Arab politicians could boycott the political
process, as they have done several times in the
last year.
The Bush administration's plans to temper the Sunni-led
insurgency and reduce the American troop presence
are predicated on Sunni Arabs' entering the new
government. Any withdrawal by those politicians
would be a serious setback for the White House.
"In order for Iraq to succeed, there has
to be cross-ethnic and cross-sectarian cooperation,"
the American ambassador, Zalmay Khalilzad, said
Tuesday.
The Sunni Arabs' denunciations came despite the
election commission's release of new results on
Tuesday that showed the main religious Sunni coalition
leading in Sunni-dominated provinces.
In all, the early results account for 90 percent
of the roughly 10.5 million ballots cast, electoral
officials said. But certified results will not be
announced until early January because the commission
has to investigate about 700 complaints, at least
20 of which are serious, said Adel al-Lami, the
commission's general director.
Those inquiries could change the outcome, Mr. Lami
said in a telephone interview. He added that early
results for the remaining 10 percent of the ballots
would not be announced immediately because of inquiries
into possible voting irregularities. Teams of Iraqi
electoral officials and United Nations advisers
have been sent out to scrutinize votes in eight
provinces, Mr. Lami said.
The complaints of both the Sunni Arab parties and
the main secular coalition led by Ayad Allawi, the
former prime minister and White House favorite,
center on results from provinces with diverse ethnic
and religious groups, especially Baghdad.
The Sunni Arabs and Mr. Allawi had expected to perform
well in the capital, where 59 of the 275 seats in
Parliament are up for grabs, far more than in any
other province. The early results, which account
for 89 percent of the vote here, show that the religious
Shiite coalition, the United Iraqi Alliance, has
taken a wide lead, with 58 percent of the votes.
The main Sunni coalition, the Iraqi Consensus Front,
has come in with 19 percent, and Mr. Allawi's group
with a dismal 14 percent. Both groups have filed
formal complaints against the Shiite coalition,
accusing it of everything from ripping down posters
to casting fake ballots.
"We reject
the results that have been announced by the electoral
commission," Adnan al-Dulaimi, a Sunni coalition
leader, said at a news conference. "If the
electoral commission doesn't adopt very strict measures
against these violations, we are going to call for
another election."
Saleh al-Mutlak, a prominent ex-Baathist heading
one Sunni party, insisted that international groups
take the lead in investigating the election.
"We call on the international community
to intervene," he said at a separate news conference.
"We call on the president of the United States
not to add another mistake to the mistakes already
made in Iraq"
Experts on insurgencies say the former ruling Sunni
Arabs may have decided to take part in the vote
last Thursday rather than boycott it so as to regain
some power and work from inside to subvert the political
process. If that is true, then the rejection of
the early results could be the first step in trying
to slow down and ultimately sabotage the process
of forming a government.
The outrage over the early results erupted as the
latest tallies showed that Sunni Arab parties are
expected to get at least 40 to 50 seats in the 275-seat
Parliament, a three-fold increase over the number
of Sunni Arabs in the transitional assembly.
Because of its strong showing in Baghdad and the
south, the main Shiite coalition is on track to
win at least 120 parliamentary seats. The main Kurdish
coalition and a splinter group, the Kurdistan Islamic
Union, dominated the three provinces of Iraqi Kurdistan
and will get about the same number of seats as the
Sunni Arabs. Mr. Allawi is expected to get fewer,
perhaps considerably so.
On Tuesday, the electoral commission released early
results for 7 of Iraq's 18 provinces, after having
announced results for the first 11 on Monday. Those
seven included Anbar, Nineveh and Diyala, which
have heavy Sunni Arab populations.
The Sunni-led Iraqi Consensus Front came in first
in all three provinces, with an especially strong
showing in the virulently anti-American region of
Anbar, where it captured 74 percent of the vote.
Mr. Mutlak's party came in second there with 18
percent, and Mr. Allawi was a distant third at 3
percent.
A two-thirds vote of Parliament is needed to install
an executive, so the various parties will have to
form alliances. The early results show the Shiite
coalition has by far the greatest mandate, and it
will be difficult, though not impossible, for candidates
like Mr. Allawi to mount a viable bid for the prime
minister's post. Last spring, after three months
of haggling, the Shiites united with the Kurds to
gain a two-thirds majority and install a government.
This time, those two blocs may not achieve the two-thirds
majority, or 184 seats, if they were to band together,
and so may look for partners. The main question
is whether they will invite a significant number
of Sunni Arabs to join them, even though the Sunni
Arabs clash with the Shiites and Kurds on the most
fundamental issue - whether Iraq should have autonomous
regions or a strong central government.
A coalition of Shiites and Kurds could pull in smaller
parties rather than woo the conservative Sunnis.
If Sunni Arabs are shut out of power, that could
fuel the insurgency.
In the latest attack, guerrillas abducted a driver
for the Jordanian Embassy. Gunmen killed three civilians
in two separate incidents, while insurgents shot
dead a police officer.
|
 |
|
 |
 |
Sources: Thousands of Turkish troops enter Iraq
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) -- Several thousand Turkish troops crossed into northern Iraq early Wednesday to chase Kurdish guerrillas who operate from bases there, Turkish security officials said.... |
 |
Could an al-Qaeda Attack Trigger War With Iran?
Following revelations of a George W. Bush administration policy to hold Iran responsible for any al-Qaeda attack on the U.S. that could be portrayed as planned on Iranian soil... |
|
U.S. doubles air attacks in Iraq
BAGHDAD - Four years into the war that opened with "shock and awe," U.S. warplanes have again stepped up attacks in Iraq , dropping bombs at more than twice the rate of a year ago. ... |
|
NPR interviews Dahr Jamail on State of Iraq Hospitals
The five minute interview with Michelle Norris is a good one. However, if the NPR show were true to its title, "All Things Considered"... |
|
Bipartisan panel urges agencies to order civilians to Iraq
With the situation in Iraq "grave and deteriorating," the United States must begin the process of shifting troops out of the country, members of a bipartisan panel said Wednesday... |
|
Sunnis Reject
Early Iraq Election Results, Calling for Inquiry
BAGHDAD,
Iraq, Dec. 20 - Sunni Arab leaders angrily rejected early election
results on Tuesday, saying the vote had been fixed in... |
|
Dispelling
Myths About Iraq
The
bruising debate over U.S. Iraq policy often seems to stray far from
the reality on the ground inside Iraq. Although Iraq’s progress
... |
|
Iraqis Glad
2005 Over, Dim Hopes for 2006
*BAGHDAD,
Dec 20 (IPS) - Despite the parliamentary elections last week
and temporary ease in violence ... |
|
Religious Groups
Take Early Lead in Iraqi Ballots
BAGHDAD,
Iraq, Dec. 19 - Early voting results announced by Iraqi electoral
officials on Monday, with nearly two-thirds of the ballots ... |
|
David Brooks:
Taking a long view of the Iraq conflict
WASHINGTON
Over the past few years, the Iraq war has morphed from a war of liberation
against Saddam Hussein into a civil conflict between Sunnis and Shiites
... |
|
Yosfiya: The
21st Century Nazis Are Here
Weary
of the overall failure of the US media to accurately report on the
realities of the war in Iraq for the Iraqi people and US soldiers,
Dahr Jamail went to Iraq to report on the war himself... |
|
U.S. Is Said
to Pay to Plant Articles in Iraq Papers
WASHINGTON,
Nov. 30 - Titled "The Sands Are Blowing Toward a Democratic Iraq,"
an article written this week for publication in the Iraqi press was
scornful of outsiders' pessimism about the country's future... |
|
 |
N. Korea warns of nuclear war if attacked
North Korea will respond to a pre-emptive U.S. military attack with an "annihilating strike and a nuclear war," the state-run media said Monday, heightening its antagonistic rhetoric.... |
|
Israel says no negotiations on soldier
Palestinian militants holding an Israeli soldier gave Israel less than 24 hours Monday to start releasing 1,500 Palestinian prisoners ... |
|
In the Shadow
of Sharon
IT
is too early to assess Ariel Sharon's legacy. To be sure, he will
be remembered as one of Israel's great field commanders, the wily,
bulldozing general ... |
|
The New Red,
White and Blue
As
we enter 2006, we find ourselves in trouble, at home and abroad. We
are in trouble because we are led by defeatists - wimps, actually... |
|
Life After
Ariel Sharon
When
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announced two months ago that he was leaving
the right-wing Likud Party, which he had embodied for three decades... |
|
Administration
Cites War Vote in Spying Case
WASHINGTON,
Dec. 19 - President Bush and two of his most senior aides argued Monday
that the highly ... |
|
Austrian presidency
will not press for EU constitution
EUOBSERVER
/ BRUSSELS - Austrian foreign minister Ursula Plassnik has indicated
that her country's incoming six-month EU... |
|
DEFINING THE
AMERICAN INTEREST
The
American Interest (AI) is a new and independent voice devoted to the
broad theme of "America in the world." Our agenda is threefold.
The first is to analyze America's... |
|
THE AMAZING
BUBBLE-MAN
Alan
Greenspan is the great guru of the American economy, the spell-master
over the fortunes of multitudes the world over. Chairman of... |
|
US DEPARTMENT
OF STATE RELEASED A PRESS STATEMENT ABOUT U.S.-IZRAEL STRATEGIC DIALOGUE
On
November 28, 2005, the United States and Israel conducted a strategic
dialogue led by Under Secretary for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns
and Minister of Jerusalem... |
|
An Offering
of Detail But No New Substance
Thirty-two
months after U.S. forces invaded Iraq, President Bush's advisers concluded
that his message of "stay the course" has been translated by a weary
American public as "stay forever." And so yesterday the president
tried to reassure the nation... |
|
9/11 Commissioners
Fault Administration
WASHINGTON
-- Reviewing action on recommendations it made last year, the Sept.
11 commission on Monday criticized the Bush administration for not
adopting standards for treatment of captured terror suspects... |
|
US
refuses to rule out use of torture
THE
White House has refused to rule out the use of torture in an effort
to prevent a major terrorist attack, arguing the war on terror could
present a "difficult dilemma" and the US administration
was duty-bound to protect the American people... |
|
American
Majority Says Bush Misled on Iraq
(Angus
Reid Global Scan) – Many adults in the United States are questioning
their president’s motives to launch the coalition effort, according
to a poll by Hart/McInturff released by the Wall Street Journal... |
|
 |
EU opens door to hidden TV adverts
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS – More frequent commercial breaks as well as product placements, ... |
|
EU states under fire for red tape on foreign workers
EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - The European Commission is set next week to present a report criticising ... |
|
There is too much hyperbole over the EU consitutional treaty
EUOBSERVER / COMMENT - I am getting increasingly fed up with those who qualify the Constitutional Treaty as a "radical new departure" ... |
|
Brussels asks Helsinki to push for stronger EU in criminal matters
The European Commission has renewed calls to boost EU powers in criminal matters as well as increase the role of ... |
|
MEPs shelve prickly anti-fraud debate, again
The European Parliament has for the third time postponed a plenary debate on ... |
|
Frattini calls for national search into CIA flights and prisons
EU justice comissioner Franco Frattini has urged national prosecutors and judges ... |
|
EU praises Bush for wanting 'end' to Guantanamo
The EU has welcomed US president George W. Bush's statements on ending the Guantanamo ... |
|
This WEEK in the European Union
EUOBSERVER / WEEKLY AGENDA (2-9 July) This week will be the first in office for the Finnish EU presidency. ... |
|
EU troops kill
wife of Bosnian war crimes suspect
The
wife of Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect Dragomir Abazovic was shot
to death in a gun battle as EU troops stormed the couple's house ... |
|
Bird flu kills
third child in Turkey
Avian
influenza has cost the life of a third child in Eastern Turkey, raising
fears that the deadly strain of the so-called bird flu virus could
spread ... |
|
EU draws up
Adriatic gas plan after Russia-Ukraine fiasco
The
EU might build a new gas pipeline on the Adriatic Sea coast in order... |
|
Slovak-Vatican
abortion deal criticised by EU experts
Slovakia
has been challenged by EU legal experts over an agreement with the
Vatican... |
|
Commissioner
proposes constitution cherry-picking
French
commissioner Jacques Barrot has proposed that single elements of the
EU constitution be taken out in a bid to save the charter... |
|
Blair takes
hits on EU budget deal
British
prime minister Tony Blair, defending the deal on EU’s budget
in front of the House of Commons... |
|
Italian bank
chief resigns
Italian
Central Bank governor Antonio Fazio resigned yesterday after the Italian
government had announced... |
|
WTO fallout
expected
Polish
experts say the WTO deal could harm EU exporters of milk, sugar, beef
and grain leading to oversupply... |
|
Austria to
revive constitution chat
Austria
plans to revive the EU constitution debate and plough ahead with Turkey
accession talks under its incoming... |
|
EU threatens
to cut Palestine funds if Hamas wins
The
EU's exterior relations chief Javier Solana will stop EU funding for
Palestine if Hamas wins the Palestinian elections saying... |
|
Ukraine snubbed
in Russia gas row
Ukraine
prime minister Yuri Yekhanourov flew to Moscow for gas price talks
but came back with nothing as Russia... |
|
Serbian grip
on Kosovo weakening
Less
and less people in Serbia and on an international level support the
idea of a Serbian Kosovo, Le Figaro writes... |
|
New Baltic
gas pipeline scheme
Finland
and Estonia are talking about building a gas pipeline linking... |
|
Germany to
cooperate with Italy
German
chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday visited Italian prime minister
Silvio Berlusconi amid promises... |
|
Turkey pressed
to stop blocking EU-NATO meetings
EUOBSERVER
/ BRUSSELS - Turkey has come under increased pressure to stop blocking
strategic meetings between the EU and NATO... |
|
Slovaks
voting on design of euro coins
EUOBSERVER
/ BRUSSELS - Slovak citizens are voting on the country's future eurocoin
designs, with a possibility... |
|
Bosnian
leaders in Brussels for US-led constitution talks
Bosnian
political leaders are meeting in Brussels to discuss a reform of their
country’s constitution, on the basis of a draft... |
|
Polish
government deepens eurosceptic ties
The
new Polish government secured parliamentary backing on Thursday (10
November) but some fear mounting tension with Brussels in store... |
|
Estonian
foreign minister denied entry visa to Russia
Russia
has refused to give the Estonian foreign minister an entry visa, sparking
a diplomatic row with Tallinn... |
|
Ex-commissioner
Edith Cresson may lose EU pension
EUOBSERVER
/ BRUSSELS - The European Commission has called for the suspension
of EU pension rights for former French prime minister... |
|
Letters
to commissioners to go public in EU transparency drive
EUOBSERVER
/ BRUSSELS - The European Commission has adopted today (9 November)
a controversial "transparency initiative."... |
|
|
