Iraqi Sunnis Hopeful About International Investigation Into Election
There has been a lot of protests (and some violence) from Sunnis over the results of the recent election in Iraq. When it all started I had this to say:
It looks like an investigtion is exactly what will happen in Iraq, and it is being welcomed by the Sunnis:
The key, of course, will be to see of the Sunnis accept the findings of this investigation or attempt to cry foul on that as well. I expect that most of them will, with some of the more extreme elements never fully accepting the election as valid.
But whatever. Every political society has its extremists on the fringes, Iraq will be no different. The key is that Iraq now has a constitutional, representative democracy in place. As long as the political processes are protected from those who would do away with them and a majority of Iraqis are willing to participate everything will work out in the end.
The Sunni minority, who were in power for so long under Saddam Hussein, have a vested interest in protecting themselves as a minority under Shiite and Kurdish rule. The Sunnis participated in the elections, and that’s a hopeful sign, but violence has been part of their politics for so long that resorting to it is probably second nature.
But Iraq will get through this. The key is to fight those who would do violence, allow those who are merely protesting or demonstrating to have their say and order the proper investigations into alleged balloting fraud. A full and transparent investigation into allegations of wrong-doing would likely going a long way in quelling the violence.
It looks like an investigtion is exactly what will happen in Iraq, and it is being welcomed by the Sunnis:
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Leaders of Iraq's Sunni and secular communities gave a cautious welcome on Friday to a plan to bring foreign experts to Baghdad to review the results of this month's election, which they say was fraudulent.
They said they would cooperate with the experts and still hoped to join Shi'ites and Kurds in a grand coalition government capable of healing Iraq's sectarian wounds and providing its people with the basic services they so badly lack. . . .
In a bid to placate their anger, the Iraqi Electoral Commission (IECI) has invited a panel of international experts to Baghdad to review the disputed results. The team comprises two Arab League representatives, a Canadian politician and a European academic.
Although there seems little they can do to dramatically change the outcome of the vote, their presence could help bring disgruntled Sunnis on board.
"This is intended to please some political factions who have asked for this," IECI chief Hussein Hindawi said. "Their evaluation will probably solve this political crisis."
Other electoral officials said the initiative was a face-saving exercise that would allow some Sunnis and secularists to back down from their demands for a rerun of the vote without alienating their own supporters.
Responding to the initiative, the Iraqi Islamic Party, part of the main Sunni bloc, gave a cautious welcome.
"The arrival of this committee shows the international community has responded to our demands," said party official Iyad al-Samarraie. "(But) if we see it is willing only to check technical irregularities, we'll have to think about what to do."
The key, of course, will be to see of the Sunnis accept the findings of this investigation or attempt to cry foul on that as well. I expect that most of them will, with some of the more extreme elements never fully accepting the election as valid.
But whatever. Every political society has its extremists on the fringes, Iraq will be no different. The key is that Iraq now has a constitutional, representative democracy in place. As long as the political processes are protected from those who would do away with them and a majority of Iraqis are willing to participate everything will work out in the end.
