BAGHDAD,
December 30, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Iraqi
powers calling for a rerun of parliamentary polls expressed their
satisfaction Friday, December 30, after a decision by international
observers to review complaints of electoral fraud.
"The
arrival of this committee shows the international community has
responded to our demands," he Iyad Al-Samarraie of the Iraqi
Islamic Party, adding: "If we see it is willing only to check
technical irregularities, we'll have to think about what to do",
according to Reuters.
An
international team agreed Thursday to review Iraq's Top of FormBottom
of Form
parliamentary
elections, two after voting took place December 15, to find a way out
of the impasse resulting from demands by scores of Iraqi groups,
including the leading Sunni coalitions and former prime minister Iyad
Allawi's party, for a fresh poll, in protest at the initial results of
the parliamentary elections.
The
decision by the International Mission for Iraqi Elections to send a
team of international assessors is aimed at placating opposition
complaints of ballot box rigging and mollifying those groups who felt
their views were not being heard, according to the Associated Press
(AP).
"It
is important that the Iraqi people have confidence in the election
results and that the voting process, including the process for vote
counting, is free and fair,' AP quoted US Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay
Khalilzad as saying.
He
added that "these experts will be arriving immediately and we are
ready to assist them, if needed."
Defuse
Crisis
 |
|
Allawi threatened to boycott the coming parliament. (Reuters)
|
Anxious
to defuse a growing political crisis arising out allegations of
widespread fraud in the December 15 elections, the United States and
the United Nations threw their support behind the monitoring mission.
"I
welcome the invitation of the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq
to international monitors and experts to observe and review the
December 15 elections, including the complaints settlement
process," US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday,
according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
UN
Secretary General Kofi Annan said it was "critical that those
Iraqi groups who have complained about the conduct of the election are
given a hearing," and praised the team of assessors for its
ability to offer an "independent evaluation of these
complaints."
But
a Sunni leader, Saleh Al-Mutlak, told Reuters: "It's a pity this
visit comes after the UN envoy ... called the election successful ...
In any case, we intend to cooperate with the team and provide
conclusive proof the election was rigged."
Sunni
Arab representatives, along with those from minority secular parties,
have charged that the elections were tainted by ballot rigging and
intimidation at some polling stations and have organized street
demonstrations to demand a new election.
Iraq's
electoral commission has received around 1,500 complaints, but has
ruled out re-running the poll. However, it said it might throw out
some tainted ballots before releasing final election results next
week.
"When
there are complaints, there has to be a credible process for dealing
with them," US Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad said in a
statement.
"The
new permanent government of Iraq needs to be established in a process
of utmost transparency," he added.
"Assessment"
 |
|
Al-Hakim, left, and Talabani continue their consultations to form a Shiite-Kurdish government. (Reuters)
|
Opposition
political leaders, who have organized demonstrations denouncing as
fraud a result that maintained the dominance of Shiite Islamists,
concede, privately at least, that there will be no rerun and are
negotiating with the Shiites and their Kurdish government allies for
places in a new, grand coalition, according to Reuters.
Acknowledging
that there was little the handful of observers was likely to do at
this stage in the process that could change dramatically the outcome
of the vote, Electoral Commission chief Hussein Hindawi told Reuters:
"It's just an assessment."
"This
is intended to please some political factions who have asked for
this," he said. The team from the International Mission for Iraqi
Elections (IMIE) comprises two Arab League representatives, a Canadian
politician and European academic.
"Their
evaluation will probably solve this political crisis," Hindawi
said.
Other
electoral officials in Baghdad said the mission, hailed by the US
ambassador, was a face-saving exercise that would allow the losers to
climb down from their demands without alienating supporters.
US
officials have been working behind the scenes to defuse tensions and
promote consensus.
The
observers will augment an existing mission of a similar size from the
same organization and will largely be restricted to reviewing the
process by which the results were arrived at.
