December 28, 2004
THE LEFT’S NEXT RALLYING CRY: SAVE THE SUNNIS!
Main Sunni party pulls out of Iraqi election (Michael Howard, The Guardian, December 28th, 2004)
Iraq's largest mainstream Sunni Muslim party pulled out of the election race yesterday, saying the violence plaguing areas north and west of Baghdad made a "free and fair vote" on January 30 impossible."We are withdrawing," said Mohsen Abdel Hamid, leader of the Iraqi Islamic party, as he announced the latest setback to plans to stage the country's first credible elections.
"We are not calling for a boycott, but we said we would take part only if certain conditions had been met and they have not," he said.
The moderate Islamist party wanted the poll postponed by up to six months, hoping that huge security problems and a lack of public awareness about the vote in Sunni Arab-dominated areas could be rectified.
The party has emerged as the most moderate political group among the Sunni population. It had a seat on the now defunct governing council and was part of the interim government.[...]
A western diplomat in Baghdad said: "The effective disenfranchisement of the Sunni Arabs could have dire consequences for the political security of Iraq. We can't afford to marginalise the Sunnis even further. It will do nothing to stem the rising tide of factionalism and sectarianism."
The Bush administration is reportedly looking at ways to guarantee Sunni politicians seats in the national assembly, as well as a senior office of state.
But Iraq's interim leaders know any decision to delay or skew the result could alienate leading figures among the Shia majority, including Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. "We are damned if we go ahead, and damned if we delay," said an Iraqi minister who requested anonymity. He said the government appeared to be "in a state of flux" over the timing.
An aide to the ayatollah said: "[Sistani] does not want a delay in the election. The Iraqi people have been waiting for too long."
He played down concerns that a Sunni boycott would deny the election legitimacy: "If some people decide not to participate then they cannot claim that the elections are illegitimate. We cannot be held hostage by the Ba'athists and the Sunni terrorists."
Assuming there is any truth to this, is it wise for Washington to try and play Founding Father of Iraqi federalism?
Posted by Peter Burnet at December 28, 2004 7:47 AMTheir decision seems to be to maintain a veneer of power by not running in the election, while will allow them to harp at the government from the outside beginning in February, as opposed to actually standing before the voters at the end of January and getting their heads (figuratively) handed to them.
Petulant on the surface, but it may actually be media-savy in the short run, since the press seems bound and determined to turn the Sunnis into Iraq's version of the oppressed Palestinians, with the U.S. troops standing in for the Israeli Defense Force. Of course, once the U.S. forces start pulling out and it's just them and the Shia majority, most of the world media will stop caring and the Sunnis will be left to reap the lack of governmental representation they sewed.
Posted by: John at December 28, 2004 8:46 AMIs this not similar to the Libertarian Party withdrawing from a US election?
Perhaps the party should talk to the caliphascists engaging in the violence and creating the lack of security. It continues to be stunning to me how the actual terrorists manage to evade any responsibility for their actions.
Posted by: Annoying Old Guy at December 28, 2004 12:23 PMNo, it's more like the Klan affiliated Southern Redeemer Democrat faction, pulling out, or more
appropriate to demographics, the Afrikaner National Party pulling out.
No, it's more like the Klan affiliated Southern Redeemer Democrat faction, pulling out, or more
appropriate to demographics, the Afrikaner National Party pulling out.
Looks like they have unwisely chosen to be under the train when it leaves the station, rather than on it.
Posted by: Rick T. at December 28, 2004 1:48 PMThis is great news. The world needs fewer Sunnis.
Posted by: Bart at December 28, 2004 6:31 PM