Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Wall Street Journal
September 17, 2008
Pg. 24
Officials Expected Higher Turnout for Registration
By Gina Chon and Zaineb Naji
BAGHDAD -- As Iraq's parliament haggles over an election law, election officials say they are disappointed by low voter registration ahead of provincial polling that could take place this year.
Last month, only 2.9 million out of 17 million eligible voters went to election centers during a registration drive, according to election-commission figures. That was after officials extended their deadline by a week. Just 100,000 of Iraq's internally displaced population of more than two million have applied for absentee ballots.
The low rate won't necessarily translate into low turnout. Iraqis who voted in the last election, in 2005, didn't need to reregister if their personal details hadn't changed. More than eight million people voted then in Iraq's first free elections in decades.
Participation in the drive was seen as a gauge of voter excitement amid a relative improvement in security across the country. To encourage voting, Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani urged Iraqis to participate in the drive. The turnout was "very disappointing," said Faraj al-Haidari, the head of Iraq's election commission.
The apparent apathy coincides with criticism of the government for failing to take advantage of security gains to improve basic services. Unemployment is rampant and there is little evidence of promised reconstruction in many areas.
"The streets are unpaved and there is almost no drinking water so why should I vote again?" said Suham Ali, a 50-year-old Kurd who lives in oil-rich Kirkuk in the north of the country. "The Kurdish politicians are just fighting with each other to get posts while we are seeking to get a piece of bread."
Iraq's parliament reconvened this month after a monthlong break. The first major piece of legislation lawmakers are taking up is a provincial-elections law that they failed to pass in August. The U.S., United Nations and others are pushing for a compromise so elections can take place this year.
The major sticking point is oil-rich Kirkuk, an area claimed by Arabs, Kurds and Turkomen. Kurds dominate the Kirkuk provincial council. As part of any compromise in Baghdad among sects, voting in Kirkuk is likely to be delayed, lawmakers said.
The results of the voter drive contrast with the euphoria that surrounded the January 2005 elections to choose an interim parliament, which saw about 60% voter turnout. That turnout was seen as an especially high figure considering many polling stations were blown up by insurgents and Sunnis boycotted the elections.
The registration results suggest a silver lining: The U.N. says that of the 2.9 million people who showed up at registration centers, about 1.8 million of them were new voters from areas with substantial Sunni populations. The 2005 Sunni boycott essentially locked the sect out of the government, exacerbating tension with Shiites and Kurds who performed well in the polling.
September 17, 2008
Pg. 24
Officials Expected Higher Turnout for Registration
By Gina Chon and Zaineb Naji
BAGHDAD -- As Iraq's parliament haggles over an election law, election officials say they are disappointed by low voter registration ahead of provincial polling that could take place this year.
Last month, only 2.9 million out of 17 million eligible voters went to election centers during a registration drive, according to election-commission figures. That was after officials extended their deadline by a week. Just 100,000 of Iraq's internally displaced population of more than two million have applied for absentee ballots.
The low rate won't necessarily translate into low turnout. Iraqis who voted in the last election, in 2005, didn't need to reregister if their personal details hadn't changed. More than eight million people voted then in Iraq's first free elections in decades.
Participation in the drive was seen as a gauge of voter excitement amid a relative improvement in security across the country. To encourage voting, Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani urged Iraqis to participate in the drive. The turnout was "very disappointing," said Faraj al-Haidari, the head of Iraq's election commission.
The apparent apathy coincides with criticism of the government for failing to take advantage of security gains to improve basic services. Unemployment is rampant and there is little evidence of promised reconstruction in many areas.
"The streets are unpaved and there is almost no drinking water so why should I vote again?" said Suham Ali, a 50-year-old Kurd who lives in oil-rich Kirkuk in the north of the country. "The Kurdish politicians are just fighting with each other to get posts while we are seeking to get a piece of bread."
Iraq's parliament reconvened this month after a monthlong break. The first major piece of legislation lawmakers are taking up is a provincial-elections law that they failed to pass in August. The U.S., United Nations and others are pushing for a compromise so elections can take place this year.
The major sticking point is oil-rich Kirkuk, an area claimed by Arabs, Kurds and Turkomen. Kurds dominate the Kirkuk provincial council. As part of any compromise in Baghdad among sects, voting in Kirkuk is likely to be delayed, lawmakers said.
The results of the voter drive contrast with the euphoria that surrounded the January 2005 elections to choose an interim parliament, which saw about 60% voter turnout. That turnout was seen as an especially high figure considering many polling stations were blown up by insurgents and Sunnis boycotted the elections.
The registration results suggest a silver lining: The U.N. says that of the 2.9 million people who showed up at registration centers, about 1.8 million of them were new voters from areas with substantial Sunni populations. The 2005 Sunni boycott essentially locked the sect out of the government, exacerbating tension with Shiites and Kurds who performed well in the polling.