The Shia United Iraqi Alliance (UIA), which won the election in Iraq, is beginning efforts to form a new government.
The process is expected to take several weeks.
The UIA are seeking to represent all parties in key positions, in the hope of realising national harmony.
The main Shia list of candidates took just under half the seats in the new 275-member assembly, ahead of the Kurdistan Alliance which took 25.4 percent of the vote, and interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi who finished with nearly 14 percent.
What do the election results mean for Iraq? How will they affect Iraq's relations with neighbouring countries? Can a representative government be achieved?
What are your thoughts ?
I heard that over 20 candidates from one party were assassinated in the lead up to the Iraq election. I wonder why American forces failed to protect them and whether they actually encouraged the assassinations. One would expect the Iraq elections to have been even more rigged than American ones.
Originally posted by STANGlooks like we have comments from the ill informed. spend some time in iraq, or get away from you computer for more than an hour a day and you might be able to form an educated opinion. i've been there before and after the war. neither was good, but the people of iraq that i have had the privlige of meeting liked where this election was going, but of course not the conditions that they are living in at the time. well to you i say the right thing isn't always the easy one, sometimes you have to go through rough waters to get to basque in the calm sea. encouraging assasinations???? don't be a fool and stop watching so much t.v.
I heard that over 20 candidates from one party were assassinated in the lead up to the Iraq election. I wonder why American forces failed to protect them and whether they actually encouraged the assassinations. One would expect the Iraq elections to have been even more rigged than American ones.
Originally posted by STANGEncouraged the assassinations? What are you on? I want some!!
I heard that over 20 candidates from one party were assassinated in the lead up to the Iraq election. I wonder why American forces failed to protect them and whether they actually encouraged the assassinations. One would expect the Iraq elections to have been even more rigged than American ones.
Originally posted by ivanhoeIvanhoe, do you have a link to the full election results including the provincial councils? I've been searching for Iraqi election results but I can't seem to find an actual breakdown. Any help would be appreciated.
The Shia United Iraqi Alliance (UIA), which won the election in Iraq, is beginning efforts to form a new government.
The process is expected to take several weeks.
The UIA are seeking to represent all parties in key positions, in the hope of realising national harmony.
The main Shia list of candidates took just under half the seats in the new 275-m ...[text shortened]... eighbouring countries? Can a representative government be achieved?
What are your thoughts ?
Originally posted by no1marauderThis is the best I can find no1:
Ivanhoe, do you have a link to the full election results including the provincial councils? I've been searching for Iraqi election results but I can't seem to find an actual breakdown. Any help would be appreciated.
http://www.indybay.org/archives/archive_by_id.php?id=2886&category_id=48
Originally posted by Dodger11None of your business. We both know you can't speak for every Muslim in the Middle East and every society over there. You're just spouting bigoted stereotypes like the ignorant fool you are. Take a hike, Adolf.
Go there and tell me I'm wrong marauder. You ever been to one of those crappy countries?
PS Thanks, Nyxie.
Originally posted by no1marauderI found this to be a nice description of things:
Ivanhoe, do you have a link to the full election results including the provincial councils? I've been searching for Iraqi election results but I can't seem to find an actual breakdown. Any help would be appreciated.
BAGHDAD, Feb. 13 (Xinhuanet) -- Sunday's Iraqi election results showed a Shiite list has won nearly half of the vote, followed by the Kurdish list and an alliance led by interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.
The United Iraqi Alliance, backed by Iraq's Shiite Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, won 4.075 million votes, or 48.1 percent of the ballots.
A Kurdish alliance followed with 2.175 million votes, or about 25 percent, while 1.168 million votes went to interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's list.
About 8.55 million Iraqis cast their votes in the elections, about 59 percent of registered voters, the electoral commission said.
However, turnout in Iraq's Sunni areas was rather low, as many Sunni Arabs had boycotted the elections or stayed away out of fear.
In some areas, the turnout was as low as 2 percent.
The three lists will take 239 seats and the remaining 36 will be shared among other lists, including the list of Ghazi al-Yawar, the interim Iraqi president whose party won only five seats.
About 69 seats will go to women candidates, which means a fourth of the parliamentary seats have been reserved for women, the highest percentage in the Arab parliaments.
Although the Shiite list is likely to take 132 seats, the result was still considered under expectation as some top Shiite officials had estimated a 60 percent win.
Anyway, controlling nearly half of the seats would be influential enough in the political process of the transitional
period, which would last until the next elections, analysts said.
The Shiite list has to ally with other parties or individuals to secure its goal of forming a government.
Before results were announced, head of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq Abdul Aziz Al Hakim, who tops the Shiite list, said his list contained many qualified figures capable of taking any post, but he stopped short of naming one.
It was reported a Shiite leader would have the post of the prime minister, a Sunni would be the president and a Kurd the speaker.
The Shiite list nominated more than four candidates for the post of prime minister -- Ibrahim Al Jaafary, head of Daawa Party, Adel Abdul Mehdi, interim Iraqi finance minister, Ahmed Al Chalabi, head of National Conference Party and Hussein Al Shahristani, a nuclear scientist who is very close to Sistani.
Among the four, Jaafary, who holds the vice presidency, becomes a potential candidate to take the top portfolio as he has been seen consulting with US officials and Iraqi leaders.
However, observers say the consultation may at last lead to a compromise to allow Allawi to stay in his post as the prime minister, since Jaafary's National Accord has only got 38 seats.
In an interview with the UAE-based al-Arabiya TV channel, Hakim kept the door open for accepting figures not from his list to take top positions, although some observers said he won't give up the chance to grab the media in the next months.
The Kurds have also won a political influence, wining a percentage more than their population percentage, due to a high turnout in the Kurdish region in the north.
The results also showed that the biggest looser might be the well-known veteran Sunni politician Adnan al Pachachi, who had been tipped as president but did not win a single seat.
"It is clear, from the number of the voters, that most Iraqis in certain areas did not participate in the elections," he said, but noted that the focus should be on writing the constitution and preparing for a more representative election by the end of 2005.
In the next stage, the elected assembly will choose a president and two deputy presidents, who will in turn designate a prime minister to form a cabinet.
Once the cabinet is approved by a majority of the assembly, the prime minister will lead the transitional government. Enditem
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-02/14/content_2576550.htm
Originally posted by ddbarnhardtYour comment doesn't dismiss the concern that over 20 candidates from one political party were killed. Why couldn't America's invasion force protect them ?
looks like we have comments from the ill informed. spend some time in iraq, or get away from you computer for more than an hour a day and you might be able to form an educated opinion. i've been there before and after the war. neither was good, but the people of iraq that i have had the privlige of meeting liked where this election was going, but of cou ...[text shortened]... e in the calm sea. encouraging assasinations???? don't be a fool and stop watching so much t.v.
Originally posted by STANGCan you back this claim up with some facts? I am not an advocate for the war in Iraq and I think it would be wonderful irony if after the elections the elected officials formed a theocratic republic like the one in Iran, but I haven't heard nor seen any proof that twenty candidates from on political party were killed. You may be mistaking religous sect for political party. The Shiites, which won the majority, are divided in to several differant political parties, that is the reason that the Kurdish Sunnis are considered to be the most powerful voting block in the newly formed congress. So if you could give us a link showing which candidates from what party were killed it would be greatly appreciated.
Your comment doesn't dismiss the concern that over 20 candidates from one political party were killed. Why couldn't America's invasion force protect them ?
Thanks.