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but its being played up as a complete success.
First, there has never been a census taken in Iraq. Many Iraqi leaders have asked for one, but its just too dangerous to do one now. Without a census, its impossible to know who can vote, where people live, and what kind of local representation is appropriate.
Second, very few people know who is actually running in the election. People on the ballots do not want to release their names for fear of being targeted. So we have over 200 parties or slates of candidates, but no one really knows who is actually in them.
Third, almost none of the parties or slates are able to get their message out. Electricity is on for maybe one hour in six even in the cities. Political advertising is almost non-existant and nearly impossible for the average person to see or hear.
Finally, no one knows where the polling places will be. For safety reasons, they are not telling anyone where they can vote until election day. We already know that some of the larger cities with active resistance will have very few polling places, meaning many people will have a difficult time getting there and voting.
My prediction - turnout overall will be low due to fear and confusion. A few places will have decent turnouts, these will be trumpeted by this admin as 'huge successes'. Not much will change overall.
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