Iraq Rejects U.S. Talk of Bolstering Sunni Vote

[leftchick]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=578&ncid=578&e=7&u=/nm/20041226/ts_nm/iraq_election_dc

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The New York Times said the U.S. government was exploring such a possibility to avoid the marginalisation of Sunni Arabs, who make up about 20 percent of Iraq's population and were dominant under Saddam Hussein (news - web sites).


Violence and disaffection in Sunni areas could mean many there do not vote in the Jan. 30 poll.


"This is the first time I am hearing of this. It hasn't been discussed before at all," said Farid Ayar, a member of the Electoral Commission and its spokesman. "It's not realistic."


"There is nothing like that in our rules and regulations. It would be in complete contravention of the electoral rules to do such a thing," Ayar told Reuters, saying any U.S. or other interference in the running of the election was unacceptable.


The New York Times cited a Western diplomat -- apparently a U.S. official -- as saying the possibility of granting some top Sunni vote-getters places in the 275-member legislature even if they did not secure seats through the ballot, had been raised with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the leading Shi'ite cleric.

[Moderator]

1. duplicate topic

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1098261