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Mutlaq told IOL he has credible information that more than two-thirds of voters had rejected the draft in Nineveh.
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By
Ahmad Atta, IOL Staff
CAIRO,
October 24, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) – The draft Iraqi constitution
appears to have failed as the Sunni province of Nineveh joined forces
with two other Sunni districts in voting down the document, a senior
Sunni leader has said.
"We
received credible information that vote counting in the northern city
of Mosul, capital of the predominantly-Sunni Nineveh, indicated that
more than two-thirds of voters had rejected the draft," Saleh Al-Mutlaq,
the leader of the umbrella body Iraqi National Dialogue Council, told
IslamOnline.net.
He
also cited semi-confirmed reports that the charter was rejected in Al-Anbar,
where Sunnis constitute a majority.
"Though
the commission has not yet declared the results in Al-Anbar, 99
percent of voters have rejected the draft."
The
Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI) announced Sunday,
October 24, that 81.5 percent of voters in the Sunni Salaheddin
province gave a firm no to the controversial document.
Referendum
rules stipulate that the draft fails if rejected by a two-thirds
majority in any three of the 18 provinces and elections to a new
parliament must be held.
Iraq
delayed the announcement of the October 15 vote results after the IECE
said it was rechecking ballots amidst charges of vote rigging.
Dignitaries
and tribal chieftains in Nineveh have warned of massive fraud in vote
counting, calling for an international inquiry.
The
commission said Saturday, October 22, that it had found no instances
of serious fraud and it was still verifying some results only because
of statistical issues.
It
said that 12 provinces, out of 18, have returned a "yes"
vote, particularly in the north and south where Kurds and Shiites
respectively a majority.
Sunnis
are opposed to the charter, basically to the inclusion of a federalism
article because they believe it will divide Iraq and exclude them from
sharing in oil wealth, as reserves are concentrated mainly in the
north and south.
