"Iraqis face a choice between the violence of the past and a democratic, if uncertain, future.
But with just two weeks to go before the milestone Dec. 15 elections, the tide of violence is swelling as insurgents try to disrupt the vote. The daily list of bombings and killings, allegations of officially sanctioned torture and growing fears of a full-blown civil war belie the black-and-white choice between chaos and peace as depicted on national television." http://www.kurdmedia.com/articles.asp?id=3D10768 Death or democracy: Iraqis offered an unsubtle choice 12/3/2005 Reuters BAGHDAD: The advertisements on Iraqi television offer a rose-tinted, none-too-subtle view of what parliamentary elections this month could mean for the future of the country. A boy is shown looking out the window of a bus carrying him away from bombs and chaos. A man shackled to a wall is set free when =E2=80=9Cthe ham= mer of democracy=E2=80=9D smashes his manacles. The point is clear: Iraqis face a choice between the violence of the past and a democratic, if uncertain, future. But with just two weeks to go before the milestone Dec. 15 elections, the tide of violence is swelling as insurgents try to disrupt the vote. The daily list of bombings and killings, allegations of officially sanctioned torture and growing fears of a full-blown civil war belie the black-and-white choice between chaos and peace as depicted on national television. In the short-term, election officials just hope they can run a safe and transparent vote. As well as precarious security, there are also practical difficulties in organising a ballot in a country where electricity and water are in fitful supply and electoral rolls are based on lists of food ration cards. =E2=80=9CThe electoral process is a work in progress,=E2=80=9D said Ashraf = Qazi, head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq, which is providing technical help to prepare for the poll. Notwithstanding the logistical challenges, Iraq=E2=80=99s 15 million eligib= le voters are being bombarded with instructions to take part and vote for their first full-term parliament since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. In Baghdad, concrete blast walls, designed to protect people from all-too-frequent bomb attacks, have proved to be an ideal canvas for campaigners =E2=80" the stark grey slabs have been transformed with colourful posters and pictures. Television and radio stations inundate Iraqis with election messages, a contrast to the more discreet campaign before January=E2=80=99s vote for = an interim parliament, a poll largely boycotted by the Sunni Arab minority, dominant under Saddam. Sunni Arab insurgents vowed to kill anyone involved in that vote. But after failing to defeat a constitutional referendum in October, Sunnis are now expected to vote in large numbers =E2=80" despite persistent security concerns. As well as insurgent attacks on US-led forces and Iraq=E2=80=99s fledgling national army, there are growing fears that a sectarian divide could trigger a full-blown civil war between Sunni Arabs and the Shi=E2=80=99ites who lead the interim government. To protect voters, Iraqi officials have planned three concentric =E2=80=9Crings=E2=80=9D of security=E2=80"local police will secure polling = stations, supported at a distance by the Iraqi army with US-led forces further away to be called on only in an emergency. Kurdish and Sunni political leaders told a meeting with electoral officials in Baquba, a mixed Shi=E2=80=99ite and Sunni Arab city north of Baghdad, that having US forces too closely involved could foster suspicions of irregularities =E2=80" and even affect the outcome of the elections. =E2=80=9CWe are very serious that the multinational forces listen to this,= =E2=80=9D Mahdi Saleh al-Juburi, a Sunni and member of the Iraqi Islamic Party, told reporters. Izzadin al-Mohammedi, a senior member of Iraq=E2=80=99s Electoral Commissio= n, said it was impossible to rule out further attacks =E2=80" just an hour after he himself survived a roadside bomb attack on a convoy taking him and US officials to the Baquba meeting. =E2=80=9CIn logistical terms we have taken care of everything, the only thi= ng that is left is security,=E2=80=9D he said. Overcoming the logistical difficulties posed by Iraq=E2=80=99s third vote i= n a year has been a challenge. Source: Reuters=20 ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Fair play? Video games influencing politics. Click and talk back! http://us.click.yahoo.com/g0CDCD/tzNLAA/cUmLAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? 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