Main > Everything Else
Iraq Elections
Crazy Cooter:
Just around the corner are the Iraqi Elections. Rather than all the "typical" comments on why we're there, let's keep it on topic. How do you think the different groups feel about the elections?
My questions:
Why do people that aren't living in Iraq get to vote?
That said, are the "voter turnout" numbers going to reflect how many people voted while living in Detroit compared to those that live in Baghdad? Or will we just see xx number of votes (and assume they all live there)?
Think of it like this:
If people living outside of America voted in our election, we probably would have had a different outcome. With entire groups (that actually live there) boycotting the election, is this election even valid?
RayB:
It's a valid point considering that those outside the country can safely do so, while those IN Iraq will be targets for bombings. Which means the turn out IN Iraq could be way lower than the voting OUTSIDE Iraq!
iwillfearnoevil:
i don't know why they can vote, but i think they are still iraqis who have fled for their lives but are not us residents? a good question.
there is going to be very low turnout for out-of-iraqi voters due to un bungeling it. they are refusing to open lots of polling places in the us such as san diego where 25,000 - 30,000 iraqis live.
from James Y. Rayis:
Only 280,303 people out of the more than one million estimated to be eligible registered in the 14 countries participating in the out-of-country voting program. In the United States, a mere 25,946 registered, a tenth of what was expected. Here the low turnout is attributable to serious mistakes made by the U.N.-appointed International Organization for Migration's Out-of-Country Voting office (IOM-OCV).
mr.Curmudgeon:
--- Quote from: jened on January 29, 2005, 12:17:23 pm ---there is going to be very low turnout for out-of-iraqi voters due to un bungeling it.
--- End quote ---
The current interim president of Iraq has suggested that there will also be a very low turnout for voters currently IN Iraq.
"Most of the Iraqi People Will Not Participate"
Sadr is shunning the vote, so a large portion of Shia may abstain as well.
The bombing of polling places has already started.
My opinion is that if the U.S. couldn't stabilize Iraq enough to hold a safe and legitimate election process, how can any "elected" official be expected to rule afterward. I imagine most elected officials will be assassinated shortly after anyhow. Democracy cannot be "spread" through imperialistic measures, it must be brought to a willing populace who are fully interested and able to participate without fear of retribution. I see nothing like that in Iraq. I do, however, wish the populace the very best.
Grasshopper:
What I find slightly disturbing about most of the news coverage of the Iraqi elections is that there never seems to be any mention of what choices the Iraqi people are actually being given. Surely this is the most important issue of all. I've been following the Iraq situation very closely but I don't even know how many different political parties are running yet alone what their policies are.
This bothers me a bit. It's no secret that a lot of Iraqis believe the elections are a sham. I'd like to know whether their scepticism is justified or not, but I'm not being presented with the necessary facts to make an informed judgement.