(Iraq PM) Maliki Aide Warns of Postvote Violence if Sunni Group Wins

[sabra]

Source: WSJ

BAGHDAD—A top aide to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki warned that violence would erupt across the majority Shiite country should the Sunni-heavy alliance led by Ayad Allawi win the parliamentary election held earlier this month.

Tensions are rising in response to preliminary vote totals from the March 7 election that indicate a neck-and-neck race between Mr. Maliki's political coalition and the bloc led by Mr. Allawi in an election seen as a barometer of stability in the fragile democracy.

Final results are due to be released Friday, and Shiites are nervous that they could lose their brief lock on power gained in 2003 after decades of oppression under Saddam Hussein.

That threat has motivated Mr. Maliki to turn his back on his campaign stance as a nationalist politician and help build a coalition among the country's fractious Shiite parties to ensure that his co-religionists retain control of the next government, said Ali Al Adeeb, the deputy general secretary of Mr. Maliki's Dawa Party and a top vote recipient on his electoral slate.

The strong challenge to Mr. Maliki by Mr. Allawi's Iraqiya bloc has sparked a rise in sectarian rhetoric among Shiite politicians and voters alike. During the past week, supporters of Mr. Malki and Shiite parties who ran on a separate slate called the Iraqi National Alliance have mounted angry street protests. They have accused Mr. Allawi as well as the electoral commission of a shadowy plot to disenfranchise their voters on orders from the region's leading Sunni governments.

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704266504575141961022631180.html?mod=WSJ_latestheadlines

[Arctic Dave]

1. Shiite teabaggers?

[Alamuti Lotus]

2. Alawi basically means "Iraqi" support for war against Iran

Alawi has the backing of the American occupation forces and Saudi Prince Muqrin, who incidentally has been (successfully, unfortunately) rigging elections for US-Israeli interests in in Lebanon, Palestine, and now Iraq in recent memory.

Nice that Maliki, a desperately fading puppet, is dragging out such blatant extortion and threats of violence to maintain power.

For diametrically different reasons it would seem that Sayyid Hujjatalmahdi Muqtada as-Sadr(RA) & the Kurdish parties will be kingmakers in this occasion.. Sadrists hate Maliki for his brutal support of the occupyers in his campaign of kidnapping and murder in Madinat asSadr and al-Basrah, but would support Ba`th-lite Allawi perhaps only a day or two after hell froze over. Umm.. I predict perfect harmony.

[elias49]

3. What wonderful things we've done in Iraq

in the name of democracy.:sarcasm:
You have to admit that at least the 'trains ran on time' under the thumb of Saddam Hussein.

[ck4829]

4. "Our supporters will cause violence if they don't win", sounds like a threat to me