STRICT CONSTRUCTION:

Sunnis See Shi'ite Manipulation Ahead of Iraq Vote (Reuters, 10/03/05)

Sunni officials and independent Iraqi politicians reacted with dismay on Monday at a move by the Shi'ite and Kurdish majority to make it harder to defeat an October 15 referendum on a new constitution. [...]

In a session on Sunday, Shi'ites and Kurds, who hold more than three quarters of parliament's 275 seats, decided the existing interim constitution should be interpreted in such a way as to create two different thresholds for the referendum.

For it to pass, a majority of those who turn out to vote have to say "Yes", while for it to be defeated, two-thirds of registered voters in three or more provinces have to say "No".

What the interim constitution actually says is: "The general referendum will be successful and the draft constitution ratified if a majority of the voters in Iraq approve and if two -thirds of the voters in three or more governorates do not reject it."

The interim constitution's wording suggests "voters" means those who turn out to vote in both cases, not registered voters, which is a much higher benchmark. In elections in January, less than 60 percent of Iraqis who registered actually voted.

The constitution is too important to let the Sunni stop it.

Posted by Orrin Judd at October 3, 2005 1:56 PM