Monday - October 17, 2005

Iraqi Election Update

It looks like the people of Iraq will approve their new constitution in spite of Sunni resistance. The final votes wont be completely tallied until Tuesday, at the earliest, but early results show the constitutional referendum passed by a wide margin in every province except the heavily Sunni region around Fallujah. Of course Reuters is unhappy about it as evidenced by the new story below. They just can’t help but call America’s strategy in Iraq “beleagured” and of course the latest body count has to be thrown in. No, no bias here ...

Iraq Voters Seen Approving Constitution
BAGHDAD (Reuters)

Iraqi voters have probably approved a new U.S.-backed constitution, overcoming fierce Sunni Arab opposition in a vote Washington hopes will boost its beleaguered strategy in Iraq, results showed on Sunday. Early counts from Saturday’s referendum indicated the vote split as expected along largely communal lines, reflecting the bitter ethnic and religious tensions that have cost thousands of Iraqi lives since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

“This is a very positive day for the Iraqi people and as well for world peace,” U.S. President George W. Bush told reporters in Washington. “Democracies are peaceful countries.” Tight security kept the polls mostly trouble-free although five U.S. soldiers and a Marine were killed in the Sunni west, the military said, raising the U.S. death toll in Iraq to 1,971.

Also, residents said heavy fighting broke out in Ramadi, a rebellious Sunni Arab city west of Baghdad that strongly opposed the constitution. They said U.S. aircraft bombed some areas and a doctor said 25 people had been killed. The U.S. military had no immediate information on operations in the area.

Despite high turnout in some Sunni Arab areas, partial counts suggested the charter’s opponents did not muster enough “No” votes to veto it. According to the referendum rules, a two-thirds “No” vote in three of Iraq’s 18 provinces would block the constitution even if most Iraqis backed it.

“All indications we are getting ... are encouraging and positive for a ‘Yes’ vote for this constitution,” Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told CNN. “So my guess is, yes, it will be passed.”

Go read the rest here ... and try not to let Reuters’ disapointment bother you ...

Posted by The Skipper     on 10/17/2005 at 06:35 AM   
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