We cannot allow the terrorists to stop elections, says Allawi

[bemildred]

Have some KoolAid. I predict the "elections" will be held
entirely in a TV studio deep in the bowels of the Green Zone.

Iyad Allawi, Iraq's interim prime minister, has vowed that the country's 30 January elections will go ahead despite continuing violence, including two car bombs in separate regions yesterday, that killed at least 25 people.

"We will not allow the terrorists to stop the political process in Iraq," Mr Allawi, a secular Shia, told reporters. "The elections process is the basis for the deepening of the national unity in Iraq."

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The high level of violence has prevented election workers from registering voters in huge swathes of the country where Sunnis dominate. To encourage more Sunni participation in the elections, the independent commission voted yesterday to allow Iraqis in Nineveh province, which includes the city of Mosul, and Anbar province, including the rebel strongholds of Fallujah and Ramadi, to register to vote on election day itself.

Hareth Mohammad Hassan, the commission's deputy executive director, said other changes to the rules might be made. "Even in Baghdad we have some parts of the city that might need some exceptional solutions," he said. "During this month we're going to deal with those problems. The aim is to give the chance to each citizen in Iraq to vote."

Independent UK

[dweller]

1. interesting wording in your subject

other than Allawi attribution, i'm expecting those words to come from Congress today.

dp

[skypilot]

2. The election

It seems to me that the Jan.30th is being framed as another "turning point" in the Iraq fiasco--just like the capture of Saddam and the battle for Fallujah. Even if elections are held on Jan.30th I see no reason to believe that there won't be more attacks by insurgents on Jan.31st, Feb.1st, etc.

[jukes]

3. bring in diebold

& fake it like they did here. both are farces.

this primo collaborator surely wants the appearance of a mandate, just as the "pretender" does here. that's why his gala is so important to him. & why he's going overboard, w/ the military review and all.

kind of pathetic.