| Submit your comments on this article |
| Iraq |
| Iran accused of Rigging Iraqi elections |
| 2005-12-23 |
| Iranian interference? Thousands of Sunni secular Shiite and Kurdish protesters took to the streets of Iraq Friday, Dec. 23, over what they called âthe biggest election fraud in Middle East history.â Their umbrella group Maram alleges the UIAâs commanding lead in preliminary results of the Dec. 15 poll and was rigged and is calling for a new election. DEBKAfileâs sources reveal that the announcement by former prime minister Iyad Allawi, head of the Iraqi List and a key American ally, that he and the Sunni bloc of 30 lists were boycotting the elections, brought US defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld dashing over to Baghdad Thursday night. Allawi alleges that convoys of trucks carrying sealed ballot boxes stuffed with forged voting slips and other documents went round polling stations on election-day and packed the ballot boxes with pro-Shiite votes. Between 10 and 15 of those trucks were intercepted by Iraqi security forces at the southern Iraqi towns of Qut, Al Amara and Basra. An investigation disclosed that they trucks were organized by Iranian intelligence agents to falsely boost the Iranian majority. Rumsfeld will do his best to talk Allawi round in order to rescue one of the Bush administrationâs greatest feats from collapse. Meanwhile Iraqi and UN officials are examining Allawiâs allegations Allawi is giving this charge credence, and I wonder, regardless of whether the charge is true or not, if they planned on protesting results as part of a wider plan. The Kurdish and Shiia participation do lend some legitimacy to the argument, as if it were just Sunni one would be much more suspicious of the claim. That being said, I have no doubt the Iranians interfered, but to what extent is my question. EP |
| Posted by:ElvisHasLeftTheBuilding |
| #7 This is a real problem guys I have been watching Iraq the Model a secularist Iraqi site and some other pieces of news and info and I am worried. Dont sound so much like a truck load of extra Iranian ballots asmuch as outright fraud by the UIA. Example quote" Sheikh Raheem al-Saâidi was also running from Maysan and heâs a local sheikh of a big tribe that has many thousands of members in the south. This sheikh won 17 votes only! A usual sheikh is married to at least 3 wives and has dozens of children, brothers and cousins and this one won 17 votes only!" that dont sound good and alot more were that came from over at thier site go check it out this is a old post read then see the new stuff by refreshing. http://iraqthemodel.blogspot.com/2005/12/whos-playing-with-fire.html Shia are the majority but they are in good Arab style cooking the books anyway to keep out the possibility of loss. This is a very delicate situation that if dont play out right (that right I am not sure is what) could go south in a big way real quick. The Sunni and the Secularist going hot or the Shia going hot either way will be a big time mess that to clean up will be horrific and even when cleaned up stabalized, putting it back together will be near impossible with the bad blood and no trust left to go around at all. This is very serious and the only good point about it so far is the LLL's are not making a big deal about it yet (either out of fear for being blamed for if it goes south or just distracted by their wire tap/FBI radiation sensor bushitler=Facism line). |
| Posted by: C-Low 2005-12-23 21:55 |
| #6 How Mossad got those trucks from Iran, filled them with ballot papers and made sure they were spotted, I'll never know, but it's a great casus belli. |
| Posted by: Jake-the-Peg 2005-12-23 16:05 |
| #5 1919.19 and no more for that carpet. /souk |
| Posted by: Leon Clavin 2005-12-23 14:05 |
| #4 Iran (Of course who else) is to blame for any fraud in the election. But don't worry, I am sure the U.S. media will continue to discuss this for days, implying it was the Bush administration's fault. SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE ABOUT IRAN ASAP. |
| Posted by: bgrebel9 2005-12-23 13:54 |
| #3 The story about the truck full of election ballots being caught before the election could well have been a planted story in case the secular shiites and sunis didn't do well so they could point back to it a call fraud. Then again it could be true. I do get the feeling that something fishy is going on... between the pre election polling being so off, baghdad going 60% towards the UIA and the general feeling that I had that the population wasn't satisified with the current gov't so why would they vote for them in even bigger numbers... |
| Posted by: Damn_Proud_American 2005-12-23 13:24 |
| #2 There is an unwillingness to accept that Iraq is a majority Shia state. The Sunni Baathists kept them down for decades but the US war liberated them. Nothing in Iraq will ever be the same. If they succeed in delegitimizing the elections, the Shia, led by Sistani, will take their ball and go home. They will carve out their own state, leaving the Sunni with nothing. Of course this means that Iran's goose is cooked. The US cannot leave the Iranian regime in place with a majority shia, religious dominated Iraqi state weak and vulnerable next door. That would make Iran far too powerful. Iran will be cut down to size next year. |
| Posted by: john 2005-12-23 13:15 |
| #1 âthe biggest election fraud in Middle East history.â So I guess saddam really did win all those election by 100%! |
| Posted by: Damn_Proud_American 2005-12-23 13:12 |