Iraq: U.S. Administrator Says General Elections Possible Within One Year
Baghdad, 31 July 2003 (RFE/RL) -- The U.S. chief administrator for Iraq, L. Paul Bremer, said today that general elections could be held in Iraq within a year. Bremer said it was not unrealistic to think that elections could be held by mid-2004.
Bremer said it was now important that a new constitution be written and accepted by the Iraqi people in a referendum. "When a sovereign government is installed, the coalition authority will cede authority to the government and my job here will be over," he said.
Iraq took a step toward self-government yesterday when the 25-member Governing Council announced it would function with a nine-member rotating leadership.
Copyright (c) 2003. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org
