Shi'ites seal power, Baghdad in security clampdown

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's Shi'ite Islamists were confirmed in power by election results on Friday that gave them a near-majority and opened the way for U.S.-backed negotiations with Kurds and Sunni Arabs on a national unity government.

With Baghdad all but sealed off by security forces on alert for attacks by Sunni rebels who accused the ruling Shi'ite Alliance of cheating in last month's poll, two civilians were killed in one of several bomb attacks on U.S. and Iraqi patrols.

Sunni politician Hussein al-Falluji, accusing U.S. officials of pressuring international monitors to cover up massive fraud, said negotiations would be tough but would go ahead.

http://www.metronews.ca/reuters_international.asp?id=123798

Of course. Coz things in Iraq are worsening by the day. Recycle the bullshit; it's the rightwingnut way.

"Saddam loyalists" in the insurgency.

bushCartel & their "MSM" tried that bullshit on before. It wasn't true then, it ain't true now.

are going to be fireworks in celebration of the new government.

I do believe the situation is going to lively up even more that it is. The Sunnis have got nothing to lose now.

There has to be a two thirds majority to appoint a president - and the UIA and Kurdistani votes fall a couple of votes short of that. One of the other parties, either Sunni or secular-based, is needed.

there are other, smaller shiite parties not on the UIA list, so the UIA could just ignore the Sunni parties altogether if they wanted to. However, the Kurds are being strongarmed by the US to include some Sunnis, so the likely outcome is a few token appointments of Sunni's to various ministries...just enough to form a government...

However, once the government is formed, the UIA no longer needs the sunnis for anything as legislation is passed on a bare majority basis. So the likely strategy will be to include some Sunnis as fig leaves to unity, and then go ahead and do what they want.

but haven't found it yet. After that, we need to know if they're actually fringe whackos that the UIA wouldn't touch.

A breakdown of seats allocated to the 12 political entities from preliminary results announced Friday from the Dec. 15 elections for the 275-member Iraqi parliament.

_ United Iraqi Alliance (Shiite, including Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari): 128 seats.

_ Kurdish Coalition (comprising parties led by President Jalal Talabani and Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani): 53 seats.

_ Iraqi Accordance Front (Sunni Arab): 44 seats.

_ Iraqi Front for National Dialogue (Sunni Arab): 11 seats.

_ Iraqi National List (secular, led by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi): 25 seats.

_ Islamic Part of Kurdistan: 5 seats.

_ Reconciliation and Liberation Bloc (Sunni Arab): 3 seats.

_ Risaliyoun (Shiites): 2 seats.

_ Turkomen Iraqi Front (represents ethnic Turks): 1 seat.

_ Iraqi Nation List (Sunni): 1 seat.

_ Yazidi minority religious sect: 1 seat.

_ Al-Rafidian List (Christian): 1 seat.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10942481/from/RL.3/

He couldn't get enough votes to get elected dog catcher.

The US would override the will of the people and stuff their puppet in a position of power.

BTW: Nice pic. I hope Trent lives to regret it.

No seat in the national assembly, and no cabinet position.........

to be run by a Bush lackey!