60% turnout?Who's Doing the Polling-Int'l Republican Institute

[poe]

Many Iraqis who had intended to vote stayed indoors as gunfire echoed around the downtown area of Baghdad. Mortar attacks on polling stations continued through the day.

"Yesterday a bicycle bomb killed someone near my house," said 32-year-old Ahmed Mohammed. "I never intended to vote in this illegitimate election anyway, but if I had wanted to I would never go out in these conditions."

With draconian security measures in place, even some ambulances rushing to victims of bomb attacks were turned back at security checkpoints.

"Baghdad looks like it's having a war, not elections," said Layla Abdul Rahman, a high school English teacher. "Our streets are filled with tanks and soldiers and our bridges are closed. All we are hearing is bombings all around us, and for the last two nights there have been many clashes that last a long time. We shouldn't have had elections now because it's just not practical with this horrible security."

Voter turnout in the Kurdish controlled north of Iraq and the Shia dominated southern region has been heavy, but most polling stations in the capital city and central Iraq remained relatively empty.
No matter who emerges as the winners of Iraq's elections, the daily processes and practices of a democratic society will still be impossible: without security, the rule of law, working institutions of government, and, most important of all, trust among Iraqis, perhaps the most traumatized people in the world, the elections could prove to be another media exercise in misleading not only Iraqis, but Americans as well.


7. Certain parties and individuals have also been funded by the US.
• The International Republican Institute, an organisation linked to the US Republican party has been funding certain groups in their campaigning, giving a massive advantage.
• It is also believed to be organising the exit polls.
• It orchestrated, among other things, the coup in Venezuela.

• The Paris Club and others have agreed to a package of debt relief which is linked to a programme of 'structural adjustment' whereby Iraq has to follow Argentina, Romania and others into disastrous policies of global capitalism. 30% of debt relief is unconditional, 30% depends on adopting a 'standard IMF policy' and 20% hangs on a three year review of implementation of the IMF policy. Iraq hasn't got any bargaining power to resist.
• Two of the IMF's conditions are the 'opening up' (read cheap sell off to Bush's pals) of the Iraqi oil industry and the rollback of the food ration, currently the only major social welfare programme, presumably because it means people with no money get stuff free instead of paying for it. The leading candidates have agreed to all this – that's why they got the money to become leading candidates.
• The debts left over after the promised, but conditional, relief are still more than enough to keep Iraq in servitude for many, many decades to come.

www.electroniciraq.net

[theresistance]

1. I wrote articles as early as late 2003 saying that

one of the real reasons for the invasion of Iraq was to bring "globalisation" to Iraq, which also means doing away with food rationing. Paul Bremer was also making noises about stopping the free distribution of food. The food distribution system was run by Saddam Hussein's government under the oil for food program and was hailed by the UN for its efficiency and effectiveness.

[poe]

3. so true brother

the cpa use to have all the executive orders on their website i think they took them down. they laid it all out for all to see. wait-but we gave them a leader they get to elect.

The student is gone; the master has arrived.
-popular Iraqi saying after the US ousted Saddam Hussein

[Dancing_Dave]

2. Thanks for putting this up.

Electronic Iraq is one of the few reliable sources of information about what is really happening to the people of Iraq. And what is really happening is a total outrage.

[poe]

4. Another superb website for reliable info on Iraq

www.uruknet.info