WP: No Foreign Observers to Monitor Iraq Vote

[DeepModem Mom]

No Foreign Observers to Monitor Iraq Vote
Only One Outsider From International Mission May Assess Elections on Site

By Robin Wright
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, January 22, 2005; Page A12


When 1 million Palestinians voted for a successor to Yasser Arafat, 800 international observers poured into the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to monitor the polling. Former president Jimmy Carter and former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt led one team. A former French prime minister led another, and there were two U.S. congressional delegations.

When 8 million Afghans voted in October, at least 122 international observers from across Europe and Asia monitored the presidential election -- and declared it an "orderly and transparent process."

But in Iraq, where 14 million people are eligible to vote, the elections next week may have only one outsider from the hastily organized International Mission for Iraqi Elections to evaluate the balloting. If reluctant governments change their minds at the last minute about letting their officials go to Iraq, a handful of others may show up. But, even then, none is likely to tour polling stations or to be publicly identified, mission and U.S. officials said.

The violence in Iraq means that its elections will be the first among dozens of transitional elections over the past two decades -- since democracy began to sweep through eastern Europe, the old Soviet Union, Latin America and Africa -- that will not have an international observer force touring polling stations to assess the vote's credibility, election experts say....


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27880-2005Jan21.html

[Spinzonner]

1. Don't the infiltrating terrorists count ?

[NYC]

2. Bush wouldn't want the vote's credibility assessed anyway.

Wouldn't be prudent.

[RaleighNCDUer]

3. Hey, they don't need international inspectors.

They've got us there to help them have a fair, transparent election.

[imenja]

4. Aren't Bush and Cheney going to man the polls?

Shouldn't they be there to witness "freedom" triumph over "tyranny" in Iraq?

[Pam-Moby]

6. Yes Bush needs to be there! I agree-that is his duty... n/t

[Cooley Hurd]

5. Inspectors or not, this election will be viewed as a sham...

...by the Iraqi people. With the current security situation, it's an exercise in futility.

[havocmom]

9. Iraqi voters might as well stay home. It'd be safer for them & results

will be the same whether they risk being shot at to go vote or stay home.

Since we (meaning bushco & neocon profiteers) are the ones bringing democracy to Iraq the elections there will be programmed just like here in the Fatherland.

[Kimber Scott]

7. They just need anonymous observers to observe the anonymous

voters as they vote for anonymous candidates and everything will be alright.

[markus]

8. First, we discredit exit polls

Then, we do away with international observers.

Finally, we establish "Libery" throughout the world, just the way we like it: subservient, death-squad ridden oligarchies propped up by "democracy" about on a par with that in Cuba or China.