More than 220 complaints over Iraq vote; more problems in Mosul

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20050205/wl_mideast_afp/iraqvotemosul&cid=1514&ncid=1473

<snip>There was a virtual blackout on campaigning and a few hundred election workers were brought from Baghdad two days before the vote, receiving sparse training. There were no local election monitors at most polling stations.


An AFP reporter in the predominantly Sunni Arab west side of Mosul saw election workers telling voters to cast their ballot for the list headed by interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.

more

Is that democracy I smell? Or is it something else?

[Gin]

2. I predict Allawi wins...........no matter what the results say

g

[0007]

3. Don't you think an Allawi victory would incite the Iraqi and galvanize

their fight for freedom? Much like jabbing the invaded nest of already angry bees?

[reprobate]

4. And that's exactly the neocon problem now.

If the Shia majority wins they are demanding a religious constitution, and that's certainly not bush's idea of 'freedom'. A christian fundamentalist constitution would be but not an islamic constitution.

On the other hand, if the Sunnis are proclaimed the winners, we will see that nest of angry bees target everything in sight.

Once more George the Fuckup fucks up.

How on earth can everything one man does turn out a disaster?

The man has delusions of adequacy.

Failure has gone to his head.

[VegasWolf]

13. King Georgie II has the reverse Midas touch, everything he touches

turns to shit.

[leftchick]

5. Hundreds of Iraqis protest alleged voting irregularities (outside Green Zo

http://www.kbcitv.com/x5154.xml?ParentPageID=x5155&ContentID=x51828&Layout=KBCI.xsl&AdGroupID=x5154&URL=http://localhost/apwirefeed/d8830q800.xml&NewsSection=InternationalHeadlines

BAGHDAD, Iraq Hundreds of Iraqis have gathered outside Baghdad's heavily guarded Green Zone to protest alleged voting irregularities in Mosul that they say prevented tens of thousands from casting ballots.

The demonstrators were mainly Iraqi Christians, Turkomen and Yazidis -- members of a small religion in the north

Shouting slogans and waiving Iraqi flags, they claimed polling centers never opened in their neighborhoods in the turbulent northern city and in the surrounding province, disenfranchising some 200-thousand people.

Electoral commission officials in Baghdad have acknowledged that many polling sites never opened or opened late for the historic national assembly election January 30th. Some of those that did open could not be supplied with ballots and other election materials.

... wow! They really do have American-style Democracy!

[paineinthearse]

1. Shades of Casablanca?

... Captain Renault: I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!

Croupier: Your winnings, sir. ...

[robbedvoter]

6. Alleged, huh? Well, it's official: Iraq is more democratic than US

At least they hold voting rights in more regard than we do.
Well. of course, you guys know there were more than "hundreds"

[MSgt213]

7. American-style Democracy! Don't you need Diebold for that?

[Calvinist Basset]

8. U.S. democracy at its best. n/t

[0007]

9. Saddam Hussein gave a supreme performance of ....

a theatrical presentation of a Sunnite dancing to a musical accompaniment, with costume and scenic effects. Conveying a story of United States and Iraq's love.

[dbt]

10. Memo to the Murkin Whore Media: BURN IN HELL!

Here you shower of bollocks go again, reporting every damn bit of alleged election fraud from overseas while you ignore the fraud allegations in this country!

Burn, motherfuckers!

:argh:
dbt

[Wright Patman]

11. I smell a repeat of the Ukrainian scenario

BFEE's candidate is trailing badly, just as he was in Ukraine. Hire tens of thousands of protesters (they'll come even cheaper in Iraq) and demand a revote.

Saturation coverage from Fox News et al. will get the American people on board.

Many will even desire to travel to Baghdad to join the protests. Not.

[daleo]

14. I was going to say the same thing.

It is interesting that voting irregularity stories are coming to light now that the BFEE's candidate is getting thrashed. It is entirely possible (likely even) that their will be saturation propaganda in the U.S. to de-legitimize the vote now, even though the media was trumpeting it as a victory for democracy just one week ago. It won't be hard, Orwell predicted this too.

The tougher nut to crack is in Iraq itself. Clearly BFEE propaganda doesn't have much effect on Iraqis. So, I don't know what Bush can actually do about this result that won't lead to a worse quagmire. Millions of people predicted the outcome couldn't be controlled when Bush originally started up the war machine.

[robbedvoter]

16. Hundreds? Alleged? Hurray! They got democracy!

[noamnety]

12. I wonder who financed the billboard

[progressoid]

15. 220? That's it?

Well you can tell its still a democracy in it's infancy. Apparently they haven't studied US elections enough.

When it gets to 22,000 - then we're talking Democracy with a capital D.