Okay help me with this one; Iraq is having more elections in December...

[radwriter0555]

who are they electing? Didn't they just HAVE elections? Can anyone name who WON the elections in February? And why isn't the winner now the president or whatever of Iraq?

Splain me, please????

[enigma000]

1. hmmmm....here goes......

The Iraqi Shiites (notably Ayatollah al-Sistani) pushed for elections PRIOR to the drafting of a constitution. This was done by running "lists" of people representing a political party or an alliance of parties. There were no ridings or constituencies in this election. If you got 10% of the national vote, your "party" got 10% of the seats (the first 27 or so names on your "list")

See copy of current constitution:

http://www.cpa-iraq.org/government/TAL.html

Talabani, a Kurd, was selected to be President by this new Parliament. Jaffari, a leader in the SCRI (Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq) was selected as PM. Chablis, the old associate of the CIA, got to be one of the deputy PMs. It was the job of these elected officials to write the Constitution.

If the Constitution passes in the referendum next month, a full election will be held with actual constituencies and will serve for a few years. If the constitution fails, new elections are held so a new group of Iraqis can write a new one.

BTW: former PM Allawi, and US backed candidate at the time, (who only got 14% of the vote) is putting together a coalition of secular Sunni & Shiites. Allawi does not serve in the government in any capacity, to my knowledge.

[welshTerrier2]

4. good explanation ...

the only amusing "oops" was that "Chablis" is a wine ... the right name is Chalabi ... he is a total US puppet and he's been made Iraq's Oil Minister ... what a surprise ...

the important point to understand about the Constitution is that the US is pushing for Federalism in Iraq ... IF the Constitution passes, the country will essentially be broken into a loose federation of 3 states: Kurds in the north, Sunnis in the middle and Shia in the south ...

the problem with this arrangement is that it will leave all the oil under the control of the Kurds and the Shia and the Sunnis will be left with little more than piles of sand ... that's what all the fighting is about ... the insurgents are 95% Iraqi Sunnis ... Jaffaari and Talibani are perfectly happy to have the US beating up on the insurgents because, IF the insurgency is defeated, it would allow the Kurds and the Shia to control the oil and control the government as well ...

and that's why the idiocy bush is pushing will never bring peace, stability or democracy to Iraq ... bush is pushing for a tyranny of the majority ... the cause we are fighting for is not just to begin with and even if it were, we will not succeed ... we just can't there from here ...

[enigma000]

6. Tyranny of the majority

That's an apt way of summing it up. The Kurds and Shiites have their own regions, living in peace and prosperity funded by oil wealth. Meanwhile the Sunni Arabs are spun off into an isolated, impoverished, forgotten, oil-less "loser-stan" region.

One thing I'm sure of: the Sunni Arabs will boycott neither this referendum nor the December elections. Boycotting the last elections hurt them. They had their reasons of course: fear of election fraud, death threats, general feelings of resentment toward the occupation etc. Still, in retrospect, the lack of Sunni representation in the parliament hurt them.

[Norquist Nemesis]

7. I'm not completely convinced Chalabi is a US puppet

His shenanigans run more along the lines of double agent working to promote himself into power. He'll forge and alliance with whomever he thinks will crown him Imperial King, IMO.

[welshTerrier2]

8. i think he is ...

Chalabi, as you very correctly observed, will do anything to "promote himself into power" ... this makes him easy pickings for the US ...

we put you in charge of the Oil Ministry and you make sure you give a friendly nod to big oil ... and another deal made in heaven was sealed ...

Chalabi is pure sleaze who can easily be had for a price ... you're right to question his allegiance to anyone but himself ... that's the perfect candidate for Head Puppet ...

[radwriter0555]

10. Yes, I think chalabis gives lip service to that which garners him the most

important favor.

He is a known felon and criminal, crony to the bush regime, after all.

[LoKnLoD]

2. I think

the February election was a transitional, constitution writing government

[radwriter0555]

3. ahhhhh thank you.. That makes sense..

I guess that's how the iraqis ended up with an islamic rule government instead of a USA style democracy.

[LynnTheDem]

5. "USA style democracy"

:rofl:

[radwriter0555]

9. lol which means that it won't turn out too good,

actually.

Not when installed by bush cronies.