Iraq Holds Largest Democratic Election in History
Posted by Jim Hoft on Sunday, March 7, 2010, 9:51 AM
Thank you, George W. Bush. Thank you, US Military. Thank you, Republicans in Congress.
Iraqi men wave thir national flag as they ride at the back of a truck during an election campaign rally in Baghdad. Iraq’s politicians, fearing that voters have wearied of speech-making that often proves to be little more than hot air, have hired a slew of singers to woo them. (AFP/Ahmad al-Rubaye)
Iraq just held its largest democratic election in history today.
Aswat Aliraq reported:
Voting centers closed their doors at 05:00 p.m. on Sunday, capping the largest election ever in the history of Iraq, where nearly 19 million voters from the nation’s 18 provinces picked their favorites amongst 6200 candidates to occupy the new parliament’s 325 seats.
Nearly 10,000 voting centers comprising 52,000 stations closed their doors amidst acts of violence that claimed the lives of more than 24 Iraqis and wounded 10 others who have been casting their votes since 07:00 a.m. today (March 7).
The new parliament is comprised of 325 seats: 68 from Baghdad, 31 from Ninewa, 24 Basra, 18 Thi-Qar, 17 Sulaimaniya, 16 Babel, 14 Arbil, 14 Anbar, 13 Diala and 12 seats for each of Kirkuk, Salah al-Din and Najaf and 11 for Wassit and Diwaniya while Missan, Duhuk, Karbala and Missan will get 10 seats and Muthanna only 7.
Iraqi Police officers in Tikrit show their ink-stained index fingers after an early-voting session for election support personnel, March 4, 2010. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Petty Officer Michael Heckman)
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noislamocommie commented:
Fantastic news! Iraq was a success.I hope this will happen in Afnamistan soon too.
Free Republic seems to be all blown up…some story about an office supply worker helping Obama’s campaign staffer get a forgery up and running seems to have clogged up some sites.
Dell commented:
Balderdash!
How can this be?
Senator Harry Reid said “The war is lost”!!
bg commented:
++
Yowza!!
Congratulations Iraq!!
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bg commented:
++
ht Hameed via ITM
[Some outgoing parliamentarians will
be arrested soon after the holidays.
They could not be arrested before as
they had Parliamentary immunity.]
Al-Maliki in the last meeting press him as prime minister
reveals the arrest warrants for members of parliament
==
Kenny Solomon commented:
Here’s an article from AFP that was posted at The Age (Melbourne Australia)……
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-world/iraqis-defy-deadly-bomb-attacks-to-vote-20100308-pqrz.html
“We don’t care about the bombs. The people will vote,” said Abbas Hussein, jangling a set of brown prayer beads with his index finger coated in thick purple ink, signaling he had voted earlier in Mansur, a Sunni district.
— — — — —
“We don’t care about the bombs. The people will vote.” That’s real hope for change.
Cheers !
Kenny Solomon
DC Works For Us
http://www.dcworksforus.com
Reaganite Republican commented:
If we had listened to Biden and Obama in 2006, Iraq would be an Al Qaida caliphate by now.
Of course, Iraqi freedom has stoked the flames of democracy in Iran, too… just like George W Bush told you it would.
What a shame our current president is too busy trying to take credit for Bush’s accomplishments to do the right thing in Tehran… after betting all his chips on this heinous regime, a democratic revolution would be downright embarassing…
That’s OK- Bibi will push them over the cliff soon enough
bg commented:
++
OIF
MNF
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bg commented:
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ht Winston in another thread..
A Vote of Thanks
[Democracy has transformed most Iraqis from people who either voted scared or were apathetic to Saddam’s fake election, into people who are driven to vote by a sense of ownership of their country.
Iraqis realize that their democracy is not the best,
but they also know that practice makes perfect.
Since 2002 Iraqi elections have been evolving.
While still not perfect, democracy is striking root.
Meanwhile, what Iraqis like me have learned is that transformation from autocracy to democracy would not have been possible without the 4,700 brave American and allied servicemen and women who lost their lives, and the many others who were wounded, for the sake of Iraq’s freedom.
Families of these heroes should know that many of us are grateful to their sons and daughters, and to the United States and its allies at large, even if they do not hear thank you often from Iraq or its leaders.
It is on days like Sunday that these sacrifices
most strongly comes to Iraqi minds.]
It Has Always Been The Soldier
It is the soldier,
not the President who gives us democracy.
It is the soldier,
not the Congress who takes care of us.
It is the soldier,
not the Reporter who has given us Freedom of Press.
It is the soldier,
not the Poet who has given us Freedom of Speech.
It is the soldier,
not the campus [community] Organizer who
has given us the Freedom to Demonstrate.
It is the soldier,
who salutes the flag;
who serves beneath the flag,
and whose coffin is draped by the flag,
that allows the protester to burn the flag.
~ Father Dennis O’Brien, US Marine Corp. Chaplain
Thank You GWB!
Thank You US/COTW!
God Bless Soldiers everywhere for putting THEIR
lives on the line to protect us ALL from terrorism!
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avery commented:
It Bush fault.
PJ commented:
Congrats, Iraq.
Thanks to W.
(Hey, those guys are handsome!!)
Andreas K. commented:
I’m still wondering how long freedom and democracy in Iraq will last.
Because, you see, they still have the biggest threat for freedom and democracy in the country. And that threat is called “islam”.
Once the US are really out of Iraq, how long will it take for some mullah to take over?
bg commented:
++
Andreas K. @ 11:45 am #14
one way to look at it is, they’ve certainly had their eyes opened..
A democratic country is emerging that answers
neither to Sunni Arab states nor to Iranians.
Ayatollah Sistani lends a quiet guiding voice to Iraq
[However, he has steadfastly refused to give any backing to any candidate or party, despite many desperate attempts by Iraqi politicians to appear connected to him in any way. Instead, Ayatollah Sistani has served as something of a national conscience, urging Iraqis to cast their ballots, calling it their duty, saying that to not do so “will give others a chance to realise their illegitimate goals”.
There are four marjas in Najaf, but Sistani is the most directly involved in politics. His edicts, however, tend to cover the wider process rather than the policy of any particular party.
“Sayed Sistani has encouraged the political process and elections since the first day after regime change, but he also respects the views and will of the Iraqi people,” said Sheikh Faed Noon, president of the Najaf provincial council.]
OT (not really)..
Suicide bombers ‘unIslamic’ and
going to Hell, says leading cleric
‘They Need to Be Liberated From Their God’
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James commented:
God bless our brave troops and God bless President George W. Bush, the greatest president in american history. Boy, do we miss you now!
Andreas K. commented:
Well yes bg, but let’s not forget that Christians are still oppressed in Iraq and have to fear for their lives.
Hundreds of Christian families are currently fleeing from Mosul, after eight Christians have been murdered in the past two weeks. They are fleeing to Dohuk, Qaraqosh, and Ankawa. Many, however, stay in Mosul because they’re simply too poor to flee or they’re held back by sick, elderly and handicapped family members.
This is not the first time. In October 2008 some 15,000 Christians fled Mosul after 15 Christians were murdered.
Iraqi Christians have been victims of violent attacks by Islamic extremists and criminal gangs who are bent on driving them out of the country. Hundreds of Christians have been killed and more than half of an estimated 1.2 million Iraqi Christians have been forced to leave their homes since 2003.
Joanne commented:
Andreas – I wonder the same thing, especially considering Muslims in Iraq have no love loss for Christians. The love of money is the root of all evil, but I’m pretty sure the love of Islam comes in at a close second. It just seems that the followers of Islam should live amongst themselves, because they don’t seem to be able to live amongst others without wanting to kill them…..mind you, they seem to like to kill each other too.
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