Iraqi Cleric Okays Delayed Elections

Cato Institute ^ | February 27, 2004 | Cato Staff

[yoe]

"Iraq's most influential religious leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, declared Thursday that he would sanction a six-month delay in the nationwide elections that he had demanded be held this summer, giving the U.S. civil administration crucial leeway in its plan to formally end its occupation and transfer power to an Iraqi government by June 30," The Washington Post reports.

"But Sistani, who has emerged as a key power broker in Iraq, said he wanted the date of an election -- the end of 2004 -- enshrined in a U.N. Security Council resolution. He also insisted that an interim government must have sharply curtailed powers and focus its task on preparing for that election."

In (Can Iraq Be Democratic?) Cato Senior Fellow Patrick Basham writes: "All other considerations aside, a national election in Iraq in the near term is a logistical impossibility. After all, there has not been a reliable census taken in decades, there is no workable election law, there are no constituency boundaries in place, there are no voter registration lists, and no procedural safeguards exist to prevent widespread corruption of the electoral process."

He goes on to say: "A free society is a complicated social artifact. It is one thing for a country to adopt formal democracy but quite another for it to attain stable democracy. Unfortunately, simply adopting the right laws will not create liberal democracy."

[yoe]

You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear over night -if ever. Give the people of Iraq a chance without interference from the United Nations or anyone else. The UN was willing to let millions of people rot under a despot – and do nothing and did nothing.

[taxcontrol]

Sounds to me like this cleric guy is just asking for a heart attack or stroke or what ever is the mort du jour.

[OldFriend]

Must have a picture of Daschle sitting forlornly in a chair to accompany this victory for Bremer.

[Zack Nguyen]

If Shiite candidates win elections, it may be the last election Iraq ever has. That is the conundrum here.

[js1138]

He goes on to say: "A free society is a complicated social artifact.

I took my kids to D.C. in 1989 to celebrate the real bicentennial. Walked into the Capitol building on the anniversary of the great compromise, and everyone was in Philadelphia. Caught me by surprise.

[kinghorse]

Sounds like that shot across the bow he received a couple of weeks ago had the intended effect.

[truth_seeker]

"If Shiite candidates win elections, it may be the last election Iraq ever has. That is the conundrum here."

They can be just like neighbor Iran, but 25 years later.

Shiite majority
"free elections"
Sharia law

Also known as mullah-dictatorship, theocracy, terrorism supporting religious thugs.

I guess we are hoping to prevent this scenario, by waiting awhile. But what can we do, if the Shiite ayatollah islamic theocracit dictatorship is what they VOTE FOR?

[Zack Nguyen]

But what can we do, if the Shiite ayatollah islamic theocracit dictatorship is what they VOTE FOR?

CIA covert action. Fund the moderate opposition to the hilt. Heck, steal votes and alter results if it comes to that. You can bet your bippy that Iranian money, and possibly Saudi Wahhabi money, will be behind the Shiite candidates to the hilt.

Whatever it takes to keep another terrorist supporting Islamic state from cropping up. THe CIA used to do this sort of thing quite a bit in the "old days" of the Cold War. They even helped save France and Italy from a Stalinist takeover at the polls (!) after WWII.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

If the Shiia's try to grab control too rapidly the Kurds will pull out and go for independence!

[Ronin]

One man, one vote, one time...

One of the African diseases. You may be right.