Iraqi PM accused of handing out guns in bid to buy tribal votes

[cory777]

Source: Guardian

Martin Chulov, Baghdad
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 28 February 2010 22.22 GMT

A senior Iraqi spy has accused the prime minister, Nour al-Maliki, of handing out thousands of guns to tribal leaders in a bid to win votes. The claim was made by Iraqi National Intelligence Service former spokesman, Saad al-Alusi, a week before Iraq's general election, in which allegations of vote buying and exorbitant handouts have become widespread.

Maliki, who faces a bitterly contested final week of campaigning ahead of the7 March poll, has been photographed handing out guns to supporters in southern Iraq, engraved with a personal message from his office. However he denies that the delivery of weapons, along with cash payments, were improper.

Alusi, who was the INIS spokesman until he was asked to move to another ministry eight days ago, said some 8,000 guns were ordered from a Serbian supplier at the end of 2008 for use by intelligence officers. However he claimed Maliki "denied our contract at the last minute and made his own contract of 10,000 pistols, which he has used as election propaganda for himself and his party.

"This was a very important contract for the intelligence service. We have no weapons to this day," Alusi said.

A government spokesman, Ali al-Dabbagh, strongly denied the allegations: "These gifts have been given to the tribes for their contribution to security. They are not connected to the election campaign. The suggestion that anything has been taken away from other bodies to use for election purposes is wrong."

Alusi's remarks are an unprecedented challenge to the prime minister's re-election campaign from the spy service that has been considered closest to his government. Founded with CIA training and money, the INIS had been thought to be mostly independent and free of interference from Saddam Hussein's former regime, or from neighbouring states.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/feb/28/iraqi-prime-minister-nour-al-maliki

[provis99]

1. hmmm...have they thought of doing this in Texas?

[scottsoperson]

2. the texas governor

wants to secede from the union. many tea partiers agree with him.

[onehandle]

3. Handing out guns to win votes? Republican candidates do that here through raffles.

Republican Fundraising = Iraqi Corruption.

[scottsoperson]

5. i think many tea partiers

are hoping for a civil war.

[Vidar]

4. Apparently, he's hung out with too many Americans.

[scottsoperson]

6. freedom and democracy at work...

Iraqi PM accused of handing out guns in bid to buy tribal votes