Polls close in Iraq

[classicman]

Peace rules as polls close in Iraq

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Voting ended Saturday evening for Iraqi provincial elections and the mood was festive in some places, unlike the violence, intimidation and apathy that marked the balloting in 2005.

"Politics has broken out in Iraq. ... It's truly a proud moment," Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh told CNN. "The distance that we have come is truly inspiring."

Preliminary results were expected within a week, members of the Electoral Commission said at a news conference Saturday night.

Only two instances of violence were reported.

CNN's Arwa Damon, who toured polling stations with U.N. observers, said she noticed an increased sense of awareness and optimism among voters, who felt their participation would have an impact on their lives and country. Video Watch Iraqis head to polls »

Political analysts said this election could correct some of the political imbalances that resulted from the 2005 election. Saturday's voting also was seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

"We are trying to build a new system of government in the heart of the Islamic Middle East," Saleh said.
The last provincial elections were in January 2005, after the ousting of Saddam Hussein, and most Sunni Arabs did not vote.

"This time, happening four years after the first elections, means that this process is on track to building a functioning democracy," Saleh said. "I think the election results will point to the real political map of Iraq.

"The overwhelming majority of the people of Iraq are having a stake in this process, are buying into this democratic process."

He added that politics "is no longer defined by violence," and is now transcending "sectarian and ethnic dimensions."

Voting was extended one hour, partly because a curfew had been lifted, allowing more Iraqis to go to the polls, Judge Qassim al-Aboudi, member of the Electoral Commission, told CNN.

Those elected will have regional power over the essentials Iraqis have been desperate for -- basic services and jobs, Damon reported.

She said there was a sense of jubilation Saturday in Anbar province, the Sunni heartland west of Baghdad. The sprawling desert area was dominated largely by al Qaeda in January 2005, when the first provincial elections after the fall of Hussein were held.

In 2005, fearing retribution from the terror group, only about 2 percent of eligible voters cast ballots.

Observers believe the provincial vote will be a gauge of the country's political direction and a guide to how to the parliamentary elections will turn out later this year.

Lets all hope for the best - for all of them.

[TheMercenary]

So far it seems to be working. At least from the initial reports. And in this case they actually seem to be grasping the concept of free will, choice, and participation in the idea of self rule. Good luck to them. I am not sure Iran and the Shia will put up with it for long.

[sugarpop]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

So far it seems to be working. At least from the initial reports. And in this case they actually seem to be grasping the concept of free will, choice, and participation in the idea of self rule. Good luck to them. I am not sure Iran and the Shia will put up with it for long.

You know, before we decided to wage war with Iraq, the people of Iran were making a lot of headway towards becoming more secular. They are tired of being ruled by a theocracy, especially the younger people. Since then, the extremists have gained more control again, because of the war in Iraq. If we just leave them alone, they will come to it on their own. I have met quite a few people from Iran, and none of them are religious fanatics. And I've read comments and articles by people who have visited Iran, and from what they say, most of the people there are warm and friendly and not at all what you would expect based on what we hear from our government.

Have you ever been there Merc?

[classicman]

Who gets credit for this?
The Good News from Iraq's Election Day
Iraq election hailed as 'great success'
Elections Are Calm in Iraq

[Griff]

This is good news.

[slang]

Originally Posted by classicman

Who gets credit for this?

Quick! Someone throw a shoe at W!

[sugarpop]

Originally Posted by classicman

Who gets credit for this?
The Good News from Iraq's Election Day
Iraq election hailed as 'great success'
Elections Are Calm in Iraq

I think the Iraqi people get credit for it.

[classicman]

Yeh, I guess you are right - They could have just voted Saddam out way back when and saved us that whole military thing.

[sugarpop]

So we get the credit for everything? Here is a huge problem I have observed, we treat the Iraqi people like children. After we invaded, instead of allowing them to decide for themselves what they wanted, and given them some control over what happened in their own country (like hiring Iraqi contractors and workers instead of Halliburton and American workers, or giving them control over the governance of their people), we had to take control of every aspect of what went on, because we thought they couldn't be trusted to do what we thought they should. That is our shortcoming, I believe. We underestimate people and don't give them credit. I'd be willing to bet they could have accomplished more than we have over the past 6 years, in a much shorter period of time (and for a LOT less money), if only we had trusted them.

[classicman]

I never said we should get ALL the credit, but I do believe that this was an extremely positive event that the US had a big hand in making possible.
I can appreciate your point of view, but I respectfully disagree. I do not think they trusted each other, they probably still don't. They had never experienced freedom and the situation needed to be stable enough for a time so that they could.
I don't think things would be where they are now if there was no catalyst for change. Saddam would most likely still be there and the UN would still be dickin around trying not to offend anyone.
Perhaps I'm just an idealist. perhaps not.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by sugarpop

So we get the credit for everything?

Yes.

[classicman]

Originally Posted by sugarpop

So we get the credit for everything?

Of course! And the blame - Geez where you been?

[sugarpop]

Originally Posted by classicman

I never said we should get ALL the credit, but I do believe that this was an extremely positive event that the US had a big hand in making possible.
I can appreciate your point of view, but I respectfully disagree. I do not think they trusted each other, they probably still don't. They had never experienced freedom and the situation needed to be stable enough for a time so that they could.
I don't think things would be where they are now if there was no catalyst for change. Saddam would most likely still be there and the UN would still be dickin around trying not to offend anyone.
Perhaps I'm just an idealist. perhaps not.

OK. You may be right. And I acknowledge we did have a lot to do with them being able to have elections. However, I do not believe the way we have gone about creating that was right.

I was against the war in Iraq to begin with, but if we were going to go in anyway (and believe me, I was no supporter of Saddam Hussien), we should have handled things differently. We cannot force freedom on people. Personally, I believe freedom is something that people have to win for themselves. We can supply support, and help, but I don't believe in winning freedom FOR someone.

And they will have to trust one another on their own. We can't force that on them either. There is no gaurantee that they will have trust after we leave either, no matter how long we stay.

[classicman]

Iraq Vote: Al-Maliki Wins Big, But Secularists Encouraged

Ayad Allawi answers with the practiced evasion of a seasoned politician when asked whether he'd like another shot at the job of Iraq's Prime Minister. "Definitely not in a sectarian regime," Allawi told TIME at the Baghdad headquarters of his political party, the Iraqi National Accord. "I respect religion. But religion needs to be de-politicized." Despite the gains made by Allawi's secular list in last weekend's provincial elections, the big winner at the polls was the Shi'ite-led alliance of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki — who remains the man to beat in the national election slated for next year.

Allawi, a Shi'ite and former Baathist who was tapped by the U.S. occupation authority to be Iraq's first Prime Minister after the ouster of Saddam Hussein, has always billed himself as stridently secular. But when Iraqis were given the right to choose their leaders at the polls, Allawi lost out to the parties based on Shi'ite and Sunni identity. Since then, he and his party have been working to promote a more secular approach to Iraqi governance, and the preliminary returns released on Thursday for Iraq's provincial elections show they are making gains — at least relative to their marginalization in the two previous national elections.

On the other hand:
Charges of Vote-Rigging in Anbar

Salvation Council officials say their projections from monitors at polling stations show the party running neck and neck for provincial council seats with candidates backed by the Awakening. The Salvation Council is actually an offshoot of the Awakening movement, and rivalry between the two groups is muted. But both groups scorn the Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP), accusing it of being in political front for al-Qaeda in Mesopotamia — a link denied by the IIP. Nutah said his party's initial tallies showed that Iraqi Islamic Party did not have enough supporters to gain even a single seat in Anbar's provincial council, which selects the regional governor. And both the Awakening and the Salvation Council charge that rather than accept defeat, the IIP has been stuffing ballot boxes in Anbar province. The IIP denies the accusation.

Sounds like Minnesota...