Iranian and Saudi cash weighs against local parties

[emad]

Independent
By Andrew Buncombe in Washington and Kim Sengupta in Shalamche, southeast Iraq
29 January 2005


Tomorrow's supposedly free and fair elections have been undermined by a wealth of "soft money", an absence of inspectors and no limits to how much candidates can spend.

As a result, parties with links to exile groups have a huge advantage over their rivals.

American officials admit that failing to impose such restrictions was a flaw. A consequence is that groups linked to both Iran and Saudi Arabia have received millions of dollars while "home-grown" Iraqi political parties dependent on donations from their members are struggling.

In recent days, voters in Baghdad have been bombarded with advertising from the wealthiest parties, including the interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's coalition and the Shia United Iraqi Alliance. Mr Allawi has been advertising on the al-Aribya network, based in Dubai and owned by interests in Saudi Arabia, where the Prime Minister lived in exile. He is understood to have received large donations from exiles living in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=605742

[oneighty]

1. Sure this election

will be fair and square. We all know that. The people will speak and all will be as it should be.

180

[moobu2]

2. Sounds like our election

huge amounts of cash flow from corporations decides who's our president is. Spread that democracy *.