Shiite alliance wins Iraqi elections

[Jay GW]

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The United Iraq Alliance, backed by Shiite Muslim Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, won a plurality of votes in the January 30 elections but fell short of an outright majority, the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq said Sunday.

The results announced are "final uncertified" results -- political parties have three days to file objections before they are certified.

"Today this is a new birth for Iraq, a free Iraq, and free people who aim to build a state based on civilized values and democratic values and the principles of peace and love," commission spokesman Fareed Ayar said.

Of about 8.46 million votes cast in the election, the UIA received 4.08 million, the combined Kurdish parties garnered 2.17 million and the Iraqi list of Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi got 1.17 million.

CNN calculates that those numbers would give the UIA about 130 seats on Iraq's 275-seat National Assembly, the Kurds about 70 seats, and the Iraqi list about 40 seats.

A plurality occurs when a party receives more votes than any other but still has not received more than half of the total votes -- a majority.

The results suggest the Shiite alliance can only succeed in the assembly by partnering with members of other parties, The Associated Press reported.

Meanwhile, the combined Kurdish parties will nominate Patriotic Union of Kurdistan leader Jalal Talabani to be president of Iraq, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh, a member of the Kurdish alliance, told CNN Sunday.

Talabani was a member of the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council, the predecessor to the interim government that took over on June 28, 2004.

The National Assembly will draft a constitution, and pick the country's next president and two vice presidents. The president will select a prime minister.

The constitution must be drafted by August 15 and submitted to a national referendum by October 15.

Shiites make up about 60 percent of Iraq's population and were persecuted under the regime of Saddam Hussein, who is a Sunni Muslim.

There are concerns the Sunni Arab population -- about 20 percent of Iraq's 25 million people -- will look upon the results as illegitimate. Two influential Sunni groups, the Association of Muslim Scholars and Iraqi Islamic Party, did not participate in the election.

The UIA's win was not surprising -- but that it failed to receive a majority of votes was unexpected.

The United Iraqi Alliance includes major Shiite parties -- the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the Islamic Dawa Party and the Iraqi National Congress -- as well as other Shiite organizations and some smaller Kurdish, Sunni Muslim and minority groups.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/...ain/index.html

Since Shiites are 60 percent of the Iraqi population, no surprise they would win the election. Especially since the Sunnis, the other major group, were blocked from voting by insurgent violence.

Problems:
- The Shiites are really friendly with Iran
- The Shiites are religious conservatives
- The Shiites may demand an "Islamic" nation, the Koran being the source of laws

Another big problem, potentially a huge problem, is that there appears to be no Sunni representation. That article doesn't mention a single Sunni party winning any votes.

It only mentions Shiite, Kurdish and the Allawi party - the one the US backed.

That means 20 percent of the population has no representatives in the government.

Big problem.

[Snouter]

"Today this is a new birth for Iraq, a free Iraq, and free people who aim to build a state based on civilized values and democratic values and the principles of peace and love," commission spokesman Fareed Ayar said.

Based on this, they must be outlawing Islam.

Originally Posted by Jay GW

Problems:
- The Shiites are really friendly with Iran

The sunni vs shiit dispute notwithstanding, Arab Muslims are generally racist and friendly with other Arab Muslims more so than other groups no matter what the European established boundary.

Originally Posted by Jay GW

- The Shiites are religious conservatives

This is only bad if they are Muslims.

Originally Posted by Jay GW

- The Shiites may demand an "Islamic" nation, the Koran being the source of laws

That is it why it is bad they are Muslims.

[Cherry]

And another problem is only about 2% of the Sunni's voted. Oh well maybe after another 5-10 years US troops can declare victory and leave.....

[CYLLON]

So are these Shiite characters that won the plurality of the votes a buch of fundy lackies of Iran? are they another taliban as so many make them out? Well the big winner waws the United Iraqi Alliance, and it lead by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistanti. Supposedly Sistani has ties with Iran. This is already being used by the Bush-haters to somehow imply that an Iranian-style mullah is being installed in Iraq. Nothing could be further from the truth.Why you say? Well,see,Sistani is a recluse living in Najaf. He is perhaps the most influential Islamic cleric in Iraq. He not only supports the election,and supports women in government but he himself has no interest in holding political office. He has also stated that Islamic clerics have no place in government. WOW. WHAT an iranian type radical he sounds like.

Time will tell but somehow I doubt the people will submit to an iranina style dictatorsip so easily.