Swing State Project

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Saturday, January 29, 2005

Iraqi vote legitimacy

Swing State Project is the place for US elections, but on the eve of the "elections" in Iraq, I want to point out prior to the ballots being cast what it will take to legitimize the election. The BBC reported:

If the Sunni Muslim minority do not vote in significant numbers, that could rob the elections of credibility.

Many Iraqis, Sunnis in particular, view the election with indifference. They don't trust the new political class and see it as incapable of dealing with their pressing concerns - security, unemployment, inadequate infrastructure - while Iraq remains under US-led occupation.

The worst case scenario is that an election that lacks legitimacy for a large number of Iraqis could pitch the country towards civil war and territorial break-up. (emphasis mine as a supporter of democracy)

So don't let the Bush Administration fool you with turnout numbers, the only question that needs answering is whether this election is legitimate. That is the question that needs to be asked and the Iraqis know far more about legitimate elections than Bush.

If we care about Democracy then we must stand up against a sham election. Democracy deserves better.

Posted at 11:06 PM in International | Technorati