Iraqi Election Candidates Finally Revealed (Newspapers Publish Names Of 7,000)

Channel Cincinnati ^ | 1/27/05

[Libloather]

Iraqi Election Candidates Finally Revealed
Newspapers Publish Names Of 7,000 Running In Sunday's Election
POSTED: 5:33 pm EST January 27, 2005

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Talk about a short political campaign: With only three days to go before the Iraq election, voters have finally been told who will be on the ballot.

Iraqi newspapers Thursday published for the first time the names of some 7,000 candidates for the new National Assembly. Many of the candidates' identities had been kept secret to protect them from assassination.

In the former rebel stronghold of Fallujah, where opposition to the balloting is strong, U.S. Marines drove through the city, urging people through loudspeakers to turn out to vote on Sunday.

The interim government said it will deploy an additional 2,500 troops to help guard polling places. A total of 300,000 Iraqi and multinational troops will provide security, with Iraq's U.S.-trained forces taking the lead role.

Iraq's national security adviser acknowledged that security remains shaky in four of the 18 provinces, but he expressed optimism that extensive security measures will protect voters and encourage turnout.

Meanwhile, the run-up to Sunday's election in Iraq continues to be marked by violence. Eleven Iraqis were killed Thursday by insurgents in a spate of attacks across the country. One U.S. Marine also died in the strikes.

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Fact Sheet: Iraqi Elections
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On Jan. 30, the Iraqi people will elect a 275-member Transitional National Assembly (TNA), with the goal of having at least 25 percent female representation. The TNA will:
- Serve as Iraq's national legislature for a transition period.
- Name a Presidency Council, consisting of a President and two Vice Presidents. The Presidency Council will, by unanimous agreement, appoint a Prime Minister and approve the selection of cabinet ministers.
- Draft Iraq's new constitution, which will be presented to the Iraqi people for their approval in a national referendum in October 2005. Elections based on this constitution are then to be held in December 2005 to choose a constitutional Iraqi government.

A voter registration list of 14.3 million names has been completed. The voter registration process consisted of validating and adding names, and correcting information on the provisional voter registration list, which was based on the food ration public distribution database. Iraqis had six weeks to complete this process.

More than 500 voter registration centers were established to help Iraqis verify their registration status. Iraqis will vote on Election Day in thousands of voting centers across Iraq and in fourteen other countries where Iraqis live.

As many as 111 political entities have submitted candidate lists for the national elections, and in total, 256 political entities composed of 18,900 candidates have registered to compete in the 20 different elections – the national election, 18 provincial elections, and Kurdistan Regional government election. The 256 entities include 27 individuals, 33 coalitions of parties, and 196 parties, demonstrating widespread enthusiasm for the political process.

The Transitional National Assembly election will be conducted according to a closed list proportional representation system with the entire country considered as a single electoral district.

The Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI) was established to supervise the elections and ensure a fair and transparent process.

The UN Electoral Assistance Division is advising the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq. Other non-governmental organizations are providing technical support and assistance to the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq and the Iraqi Interim Government.

The Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq and various non-governmental organizations are engaged in a voter education campaign.

The role of the United States and the Coalition is limited and consists primarily of providing financial support for the cost of the mechanics of the election as well as some technical assistance through NGOs. The United States has provided more than $40 million to help the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq conduct elections. Japan has pledged $40 million and the EU pledged $38 million for the election effort.

International support for Iraq’s elections is essential. Military forces from 28 nations are working alongside Iraqi forces, helping to establish stability and security throughout Iraq. Iraqi Police and National Guard units have the primary responsibility for securing polling sites. Additional forces, both Iraqi and Coalition, stand ready to provide reinforcement where required.

After the January 30, 2005 election:
- The votes will be tabulated and winners declared.
- The Transitional National Assembly is expected to be seated in mid-February.
- The Assembly will appoint a Presidency Council, consisting of a President and two Vice Presidents.
- The Presidency Council will, by unanimous agreement, appoint a Prime Minister and, on his or her recommendation, cabinet ministers to run the Iraqi government’s various ministries.
- The Prime Minister and the cabinet must receive a vote of confidence by a simple majority of the Transitional National Assembly before commencing work as a government.
- The Transitional National Assembly will be charged with drafting a new Iraqi constitution. The draft constitution is to be presented for approval to the Iraqi people in a national referendum in October 2005.
- By the end of 2005, the Iraqi people are expected to elect a new national government under a new, permanent constitution.

[Libloather]

A sample ballot for the Iraqi elections set for Jan. 30.

Palm Beach County should be taking notes...

[jigsaw]

Heck -- Kerry & Edwards are still trying to keep their real identities from the American public.

[GottaLuvAkitas1]

Could you imagin 7,000 in the U.S.?
People here were saying they were STILL undecided between Bush and Kerry the day before the election.
My heart goes out to those brave souls who go to vote.

[AmericanChef]

The Olde Media dogs are still trying to convince us that the Iraqis will be too scared to vote. Listen, if you've got SEVEN THOUSAND CANDIDATES willing to run for office, just imagine how many voters there will be.

[plain talk]

As we get closer to the electionb I must admit I'm get goose-bumps over the historical nature of this. This is Bush's equivalent of the Berlin wall coming down. Hugh.

[hershey]

Amazing. I'm holding my breath along with the rest of the world.

[oldleft]

In Iraq they're doing it Israeli style (don't tell anyone.)

You vote for the party, not the candidate. The parties then have "lists" of people who get proportional representation.

For instance, if the Kurdish Alliance gets 10% of the vote, then the first 20 people on the list become representative, the rest of the 200 or so people on the list go home. That's why you have 7,000 candidates. Each list goes into it thinking they may get 100% of the vote so they put up 280 candidates.

In Iraq, no one party will probably get more than 50 or 60 seats so they'll be forced to form coalitions.