Massive vote fraud in Iraq?

Well, if we can't have fair elections in the US, why should Iraqis have them?

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/oct2005/iraq-o17.shtml

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Ninevah includes Mosul, a city of more than 1 million inhabitants that is at least 80 percent Sunni. Yet, according to Iraqi officials, a tally of 260 of the province’s 300 polling places turned up only 80,000 “no” votes, compared with 300,000 in favor of the constitution.

Such figures are comprehensible only as an indication of either a mass Sunni boycott of the poll or massive vote fraud.

Ninevah province also includes the city of Tal Afar, scene of the recent US military siege that demolished entire neighborhoods and turned most of its residents into refugees, with no place to vote.

Similar US actions in western Iraq also prevented polling stations from being set up in many predominantly Sunni towns and villages. In Anbar province—which includes the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi, centers of opposition to the US occupation—between 60 and 70 of the province’s 209 polling stations never opened, effectively disenfranchising about a third of the population.

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EDITED BY ADMIN: COPYRIGHT

Its all a sham anyway.

even know what this 'Constitution' said anyway.

The only thing that counts is the 'insurgency' and whether or not the killing stops. And somehow I don't see this sham election being the cure for that.

By the way, I read an article that said 15 million would show up at the polls. I laughed at it at the time. That article added that there is a total 20 million registered voters. Anyway, if that's true, this election was pathetic in regard to the turnout.

can legally steal Iraqi resources. They mean a lot to Iraqis. Expect mayhem.

foreign interest stealing (legally or illegally) Iraqi resources, that's been going on since the initial invasion. No big deal, just business as usual.

If you mean this Consitution makes it legal, hell, its been legal all along. This would just make it permanent.

By the way, by legal I mean occupation legal. Not necessarily by Iraqi standards. I suspect the majority thinks it takes a lot of guts on our part to commandeer their assets.

I remember how the January elections turned out. All that fawning over Bushco...and for what?

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/MAC153329.htm

US troops plan to protect voters and votes in Iraq

11 Oct 2005 17:25:14 GMT

Source: Reuters

By Claudia Parsons

NEAR BAQUBA, Iraq, Oct 11 (Reuters) - U.S. troops trying to make Saturday's constitutional referendum in Iraq as safe as possible say it's not just people who have to be protected, but millions of pieces of paper.

"The most important thing that we have to secure on the entire day is going to be ballots, both because of the symbolic value to the enemy and the legitimacy of the election," said Lieutenant Colonel Rich Creed of the U.S. forces.

in fledgling Democracies such as this. Right now its all about surviving the birth.

That is one of Bush and his minions favorite talking points. They repeat it every chance they get as if by doing so it will make it true. Now we have DUers spewing the same crap. </scratching head>

Don

has a post on the same topic. Smile away.

http://www.juancole.com/2005/10/peace-in-iraq-still-elusive-after.html

Monday, October 17, 2005

Peace in Iraq Still Elusive after Constitutional Referendum

Al-Hayat reports that 643,000 votes were cast in Ninevah Province (capital: Mosul). At the time it filed, 419,000 had been preliminarily counted, and the vote was running 75 percent in favor. Ninevah Province was the most likely place that Sunni Arabs opposing the constitution might be able to get a 2/3s "no" vote.

Several of my knowledgeable readers are convinced that the Ninevah voting results as reported so far look like fraud. One suspected that the Iraqi government so feared a defeat there that they over-did the ballot stuffing and ended up with an implausible result.

One of my Iraqi-American correspondents compared the turnout statistics from Ninevah and Diyala provinces last Jan. 30 to those coming out now, and found the current numbers completely unbelievable. He pointed out that the Iraqi Islamic Party had not garnered many votes in Ninevah last January, and its support of the constitution could not hope to explain the hundreds of thousands of "yes" votes the constitution appeared to receive on Saturday.

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nt

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding something but how can "a permanent government" be a product of democracy. Surely, the government is only there until it is democratically removed from power. There's nothing permanent about that.

A constitutional referendum that required a no vote of 75% in three provinces for rejection is a farce, a sham, a fraud, and an insult to all of those Iraqis and Americans who actually believe in constitutional republics and representation democracy.

Q. for all the freeptards: what were the requirements for acceptance of our own constitution?

to begin with. With the US as the occupier i have no faith in it at all. Whatever it is they have over there, it's not democracy.

No doubt. If the constitution would fail its over.

to Iraq.

Whoa.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4351680.stm

Iraq's independent electoral commission says statistical irregularities in last week's referendum could indicate fraud.
Chief electoral officer Adel Alami did not give details, but he said many provinces' figures were either too high or too low by international standards.

A source told the BBC both the turnout and result levels were of concern.

The electoral commission said on Monday it was re-examining the ballots and that final results from the referendum would be delayed by several days.

Earlier, United Nations election officials in Iraq said the vote had gone well, but some Sunni Arab politicians have alleged corrupt practices were allowed to boost the "yes" vote.

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