NY Times: Power Check: Verdict Is Split

[ryban]

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Feb. 13 - The razor-thin margin apparently captured by the Shiite alliance here in election results announced Sunday seems almost certain to enshrine a weak government that will be unable to push through sweeping changes, like granting Islam a central role in the new Iraqi state.

The verdict handed down by Iraqi voters in the Jan. 30 election appeared to be a divided one, with the Shiite political alliance, backed by the clerical leadership in Najaf, opposed in nearly equal measure by an array of mostly secular minority parties.

According to Iraqi leaders here, the fractured mandate almost certainly heralds a long round of negotiating, in which the Shiite alliance will have to strike deals with parties run by the Kurds and others, most of which are secular and broadly opposed to an enhanced role for Islam or an overbearing Shiite government.

<snip>

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/14/international/middleeast/14assess.html?hp&ex=1108357200&en=954c8ef264ede79c&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[oasis]

1. Let's see, 60% of Iraq are Shiites, the Sunnies didn't vote. Razor thin

margin for shiites after elections. Hmmmmm. :shrug:

Were Diebold voting machines in use?

[Rose Siding]

3. It was those undecided swing Shiite voters

Islamic extremism or Western puppets....extremism or puppets- Some could detect no difference between the choices and threw their votes away on a 183rd party candidate. ;)

[oasis]

6. whew! Thank God there's a reasonable explanation. The American people

couldn't handle it if they thought the election was rigged. ;-).

[leesa]

7. They are basically saying,if you add all the other candidates up it equals

the Shiite vote. WTF is that? How is that a razor margin. Man, the Iraqis are gonna be pissed. They knew the election was a sham and now the US is stealing it from them right in front of their eyes.

So much for fucking democracy!

[oasis]

8. At least Bush didn't give the Iraqis a better election than we got here.

:eyes:

[radfringe]

11. Red Provinces - Blue Provinces?

Looks like Iraq is as split as we are, and of course the same rhetoric is being said -- "we must unite...."

so the next question is -- Who is going to step up and say they are a uniter and not a divider?

[Vladimir]

12. Only if you assume that Iraqis vote along religious lines only

which is an assumption that too many here have been making for my liking. Historically, Iraqis have always had a very strong sense of national identity, and it could well be that many voted against a party that was certain to bring them closer to Iran. Or it could be that they didn't think the ayatollah had good domestic policies. Or it could have been rigged, or a million other things. But it does not follow from someone being Shiite that they will vote for a 'Shiite' party.

[VegasWolf]

2. It took this long to get the fraud correct? bushbaby is slipping. n/t

[bloom]

4. What did the exit poll say? eom

[leesa]

5. Razor thin????? Yet Bush won a mandate with his puny percentage point.

This is such an incredibly biased report! Everyone needs to write the Times and give them hell.

[oasis]

9. NY Times title is as intentionally misleading as its story is dishonest.

Are they trying to slip one past us? :shrug:

[Jack Rabbit]

10. Razor-thin? It must be the razor Sistani uses to shave.

!!