Michigan Tech Lode January 12, 2005
Historic elections on horizon
By Kevin Merzlak - Editor in Chief
Elections in Iraq are rapidly approaching the Jan. 30 deadline as violence continues in certain portions of the country. As the date set by the United Nations approaches, the Iraqi interim government prepares for precedent to be set while insurgent groups continue activities meant to derail the establishment of a democratic Iraq.
According to a report from CNN.com, Iraqi interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi has stated that the majority of the country will be secure for elections to take place, though there are expectations insurgents will increase their activities in the run-up to elections. The elections, which will decide the membership of a 275-seat transitional assembly, are seen as necessary to lending legitimacy to the coalition occupation and the establishment of a permanent government.
For the elections themselves, more than 120 parties were authorized to field candidates, with a minimum of 12 candidates, with at least a third being female to guarantee a significant representation of women. The election results will be proportional representation with popular vote percentages corresponding to the percentage of the assembly awarded to a party. This transitional assembly will then move forward with the creation of a constitution and a government dictated by that document.
Some of the main threats to elections occurring in various parts of Iraq include continued violence by insurgents and the threat by some Sunni clerics for a boycott of the election.
Violence is threatening the election in other ways aside from scaring prospective voters. Insurgent attacks have also caused candidates to be wary, as many candidates have not been officially named out of fear of assassination attempts in the three weeks remaining before the election. That has serious implications for the legitimacy of the election, leaving the results open to protest due to inadequate assurances of safety for those running for office.
According to a report from CNN.com, the U.S. military expects to deploy 35,000 troops to Baghdad to help ensure security at polling stations within the city.
Three separate attacks Jan. 11 claimed at least 15 people, reported BBC.com, including six policemen. Officials from both the U.S. government and the interim government describe the tactics as indicative of an insurgency fear of the upcoming elections.
The attacks occurred the same day as an announcement by the interim government for funding for security and a plan to increase the number of Iraqi troops considerably. The plan will provide for $2.2 billion in funding and an increase in the number of troops to 150,000, as well as outfitting forces with modern training and equipment. The plan includes integrating the country's National Guard and army into one force. After the initial invasion by the U.S. led coalition in March of 2003, the Iraqi army was disbanded, a decision later considered to have been a mistake on the part of the coalition. The current forces have been in training with U.S. military personnel and have participated in various actions with coalition forces, including the siege of Falluja.
Also announced on Jan. 11 was a call from the Ukrainian parliament for an immediate withdrawal of the European nation's peacekeeping troops. This marks the second troop withdrawal from a major troop contributor since the decision from Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero to remove that country's troops shortly after his election.
This comes after a busy December in which 73 U.S. military personnel were killed according to globalsecurity.org. The Web site also puts the total fatalities from combat and non-combat causes to date at 1,367 with more than 10,000 wounded. Numerous casualties have also occurred among Iraqi police and National Guard members, as they have become favorite targets of the insurgency. Attacks against Iraqi security forces have risen in recent months as the elections loomed closer and have increased the fear that in some areas polling districts will be the subject of insurgent attacks on Jan. 30.
The Baghdad area has also seen its share of violence, with the killing of the city's deputy police chief Monday and the death of the governor Jan. 4 in an ambush.
In a setback for coalition forces attempts to garner support from the Iraqi population, an F-16 dropped a 500-pound bomb on a home near Mosul, where insurgent activity has increased since the U.S. military attack into Falluja. The incident happened only a week after the resignation of the city's election officials and a bombing that killed 22 according to CNN.com
As part of efforts by the U.S. government to improve relations with the Iraqi people, testimony began in the trial of a U.S. servicemen accused of abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad. Testimony included that of detainees at the complex, who described the alleged actions of the defendant, U.S. Army Specialist Charles Graner Jr. If convicted of all charges, Graner faces up to 17 years in federal prison.
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