Iraq's Choice: A Look at the Candidates

[stevedeshazer]

Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2005
Who's on the Ballot?

Iraqis arriving at the polls on January 30 will be handed a ballot paper that would be confusing to even the most practiced of electorates. For one thing, the vast majority of the candidates won't be mentioned anywhere on it. Each voter has one vote, which must be given to one of the 111 political parties and coalitions, listed in random order decided by lottery, on a ballot the size of a broad-sheet newspaper. Each party or coalition is identified by name, a graphic symbol, a number, and the name of the candidate at the top of its list. Most of these groupings are recent creations, largely unknown among Iraqis (although in some instances their top candidate may enjoy some name-recognition). Even some of the more established parties who worked against Saddam Hussein in exile or underground, such as the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the Dawa Party and the Communist Party, are running under the umbrella of recently formed coalitions, meaning they won't actually appear on the ballot under their own names. Some Iraqi press reports say as many as 53 parties may have actually withdrawn from the race, although their names may still appear on the list. Fear of assassination has prompted most of the parties and coalition to keep their candidate lists secret (beyond the top name), and security concerns have also severely restricted campaigning. Many voters may quite literally have little idea of whom they are electing when they cast their votes.


http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1020618,00.html

[stevedeshazer]

1. Here are all the pictures and profiles available for the candidates:

Looks like a a fine group of candidates.

[stevedeshazer]

2. .