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Iraq Elections
patrickl:
I saw Paul Bremer in an interview on dutch TV about the elections and he stated that there were something like 40 parties entering the election. I think the idea is that no one party can get the majority so the government will have to consist of several parties who will need to get along. For obvious reasons the US would not like to see Iraq become a Shia country like Iran.
BTW really sad how this guys' live is ruined. Paul Bremer can probably not live a normal live for at least a decade or so. Amazing that someone can be so dedicated to his job that he will suffer so much for it. I was really impressed by the way he spoke and what he said.
danny_galaga:
--- Quote from: jened on January 29, 2005, 12:17:23 pm ---i don't know why they can vote, but i think they are still iraqis who have fled for their In the United States, a mere 25,946 registered, a tenth of what was expected.
--- End quote ---
yep. thats the ameerican way ;) more iraqis are voting in australia than in the US it would seem...
iwillfearnoevil:
this James S. Robbins article describes some of the candidates and parties running:
http://www.nationalreview.com/robbins/robbins200501280818.asp
to get an idea of the scope:
There is a single nationwide ballot for the 275-seat Iraqi national assembly. Eighty-three party and individual electoral lists with a total of 7,200 candidates are contending for those seats. In addition, there are separate ballots in each of the 18 Iraqi governates to elect 41-member governing councils (51-member in Baghdad), which will function as provincial governments. Over 380 party lists representing 7,850 candidates are seeking these 748 seats. Finally, voters in Kurdish areas will choose from among 499 candidates representing 14 parties for the 111-seat Kurdish National Council.
also they're voting for parties and not individuals and the major parties have resisted publishing their list of individuals for security concerns.
Crazy Cooter:
That's nuts. It would take hours to fill that out. I don't know if I would take the risk. The people that live there should be the ones making the decision though (IMO). They are the ones that will live with the consequences.
Wouldn't it have been easier to start with a national level government and then create the local stuff once that had been stabilized? I think it's safe to say that there is going to be extreme distrust and frustration in this. I think that Iraq may end up with "too many cooks in the kitchen".
"...the idea is that no one party can get the majority so the government will have to consist of several parties who will need to get along." <-- I hope we're not the role model in this. We have two parties that can't get along.
RetroJames:
Certainly alot more choices than the last election...
I am very happy those people have that murderous SOB and his horrific offspring out of the way. At least they have a chance now.