|
|
November 23, 2004
The Bush administration's misguided policies and inability to deliver on promises have put the prospect for free and fair elections in Iraq in peril. Despite the Iraqi Independent Electoral Commission's announcement last weekend that the nation would hold elections on January 30, serious security and logistical problems remain, putting this aggressive timeline for elections into question.
- Greater security is needed to ensure Iraqis can register and vote safely and free of intimidation. William Taylor, the director of reconstruction at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, admits security in the Sunni Triangle and the northern city of Mosul is worse than it was six weeks ago, adding he was worried that in some areas "it would now be difficult to have elections." Only 145,000 Iraqi security personnel will be trained and ready by Election Day - far short of the 270,000 that Iraqi officials say are needed.
- Logistical problems have curtailed voter registration efforts and threaten Election Day chaos. Over the next two-and-a-half months, political parties must register, candidate lists have to be certified, ballots must be printed and distributed to 28,000 polling places, and candidates must campaign. Registration has been delayed in many parts of the country over the past few weeks, however, as about 90 of the country's 540 registration centers were shut down due to potential violence.
- The stakes couldn't be higher. With the worsening violence throughout Iraq, and prospects that the nation's powerful Sunni Muslim minority will boycott, the situation in Iraq is incredibly delicate. Flawed elections would be a significant blow to the country's stability and could threaten civil war.
Daily Talking Points is a product of the American Progress Action Fund. |
Daily Talking Points is a product of the American Progress Action Fund. |
