Free Republic

A radical cleric who led militia into bloody battles with coalition forces in Iraq is on course to win the country's election. Firebrand Iraqi Moqtada al-Sadr formed the Mahdi Army in 2003 which was responsible for bloodshed on the streets of Basra and the shooting down of coalition planes.

BAGHDAD (AP) -- Former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi reached out to his rivals to form a governing coalition Saturday, staking his claim as the top vote-getter in Iraq's elections and saying he hoped to build strong relations with neighboring countries. Allawi's secular Iraqiya bloc edged out chief rival Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki by just two seats in the March 7 vote for a 325-member parliament. The razor-thin victory meant Allawi's road to regaining the premiership is anything but guaranteed, and a lengthy period of political negotiations -- possibly punctuated with violence -- likely lies ahead. Regardless of the outcome, the...

<p>Ayad Allawi says he dreamed for years of two things -- toppling Saddam Hussein and establishing a democracy in Iraq. As an opposition leader and then interim prime minister, he helped achieve both goals. But as he prepares to leave office, Allawi worries that his country remains on the edge of a precipice.</p>

BAGHDAD (AP) -- A jubilant Ayad Allawi claimed victory for his secular, anti-Iranian coalition as final parliamentary returns Friday showed him edging out the bloc of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who angrily vowed to fight the results. The results, if they stand, will give Allawi the first opportunity to form a parliamentary majority and Iraq's next government. But they do not automatically mean that he will become prime minister, and the narrow margin sets the stage for months of political wrangling. "On this occasion, I'd like to congratulate the Iraqi people and extend the hand of friendship to all neighboring...

Before Iraq's first election in January 2005, the Bush administration debated whether to support any particular candidate. The Central Intelligence Agency wanted to funnel $20 million to its longtime favorite Ayad Allawi, who was then serving as prime minister in a U.S.-appointed government. But Condoleezza Rice, President Bush's top foreign policy adviser, argued that the U.S. should create a level playing-field and let the chips fall where they may. Ms. Rice won the day. And so did the United Iraqi Alliance, an alliance of Shiite parties led first by Ibrahim Jaafari and, after subsequent elections that year, by Nouri al-Maliki,...

It takes a cynical mind not to share in the achievement of Iraq's national elections. Bombs and missiles, al Qaeda threats and war fatigue failed to deter millions of Iraqis of all sects and regions from exercising a right that is rare in the Arab world. Even the U.N.'s man in Baghdad called the vote "a triumph."On Sunday, 61% of eligible voters came out in Anbar Province, a former extremist stronghold that includes the towns of Fallujah and Ramadi. In the last national elections five years ago, 3,375 people—or 2%—voted in Anbar. The other Sunni-dominated provinces that boycotted in 2005...

Turnout in yesterday's parliamentary election in Iraq reached 62.4 per cent despite a concerted effort to intimidate voters and scare them away from polling stations. Hamdiyah al-Husseini, a senior official with the Independent High Electoral Commission, released the figure at a press conference in Baghdad. The figure is lower than the 76 per cent turnout for the the parliamentary election of December 2005 but higher than last year's provincial elections when just over half of voters cast ballots. Turnout is an important measure of success for the election. To be credible and effective, Iraq's next government will need the backing...

After the Iraqi parliament banned 500 candidates from contesting the March 7 national elections, Vice President Joseph Biden rushed to Baghdad to urge Iraqi political leaders to reconsider. While the ban has fueled U.S. cynicism about Iraqi democracy, such cynicism is unwarranted, especially now. The Iraqi parliament’s decision did not wipe out Sunni candidates. Even the majority Shia lists are multi-sectarian. Iraqis say the controversy is really about rule-of-law and sovereignty issues. Across the ethnic and sectarian spectrum — and even in senior Iraqi military circles — Iraqis consider it likely that there will be a Baathist coup attempt following...

The silence was deafening and the seats were empty. The western press was nowhere to be found. The location was Baghdad and the event was a February 10th, 2006 press conference announcing the final verification of December's election results. Although the final allocation of parliamentary seats did not change from last month's tentative reports, the conference was nonetheless significant for American and Iraqi history. What was equally significant was the absence of members of the western press.If the pre-release of the topics to be discussed included reports of widespread voter fraud, complaints by detained terrorists of maltreatment, or a sudden...

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Shiite lawmakers Sunday chose Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari to head Iraq's new government, Shiite officials said. Al-Jaafari won 64 votes, one more than Vice President Adil Abdul-Mahdi, officials said. There were two abstentions. More than 100 lawmakers from the Shiite coalition, the United Iraqi Alliance, gathered to vote. The choice of the umbrella Shiite alliance is assured of becoming prime minister because Shiites won the most parliament seats in the Dec. 15 national elections. Shiite lawyers cast their votes at the heavily guarded home of Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, the head of Abdul-Mahdi's party. Al-Jaafari's supporters gathered in the...

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Hundreds of Shiites spilled into Baghdad streets on Sunday to support their governing coalition, which took a large lead in the Dec. 15 elections and has been the target of opposition vote-rigging accusations. Sunni Arab groups staged smaller demonstrations in the western Anbar Province city of Fallujah and in eastern Baqouba to support demands for a rerun of the parliamentary elections, which they claim were tainted by fraud. At least 16 people were killed in violence around Iraq on Sunday. Two mortar rounds also landed near the heavily fortified Green Zone, and a roadside bomb damaged an...

The seemingly successful Iraqi election of December 15 came under critical scrutiny from several quarters. Senator Harry Reid (D-Nev.), minority leader, pointed out that persons of differing political vision were elected. “There is no consensus on policy in Iraq,” Reid said. “Iraq is headed for contentious disagreements between political parties over legislation, taxes and foreign affairs. I see no harmony of viewpoints.” Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.) speculated that factions within the Iraqi Parliament might attempt to impeach leaders of opposing parties. “There could be disagreements over policy, accusations of scandals or corruption, that, you know, might cause one party to...

Michael Sitto said it best. Sitto, a La Mesa, Calif. expatriate Iraqi who works for the U.S. Navy told reporters as he prepared to cast his absentee vote in the Iraqi elections: "It is a great day for the Iraqi people. This is the start of a new democratic system, a democratic country in the Middle East," he said. "At the same time, there has been a great sacrifice by the American people." And, he added, "We don't want to lose sight of that." Too bad the Democrats and their Marxist allies here in the U.S. can't see the miracle...

Some observations on this the third election in the last year in Iraq. I think that would be three more free elections in the Arab Muslim World than in the last, well, as long as anyone can remember. Do you want to know what actually Iraqis think about today? Check out Iraq the Model. They got their purple fingers. They'll tell you about voting, security and children playing soccer. Quoting a 65 year-old voter: "I'm here at this early hour to challenge the terrorists who want to kill the democratic process in Iraq and I want to encourage the healthy...

Special Iraq Election Coverage by Iowahawk Correspondent Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi Senior VP, Al-Qaeda In Iraq 9:25 CST Yozup, haters? Yeahhh, the Zarkman's comin' at ya from B-town, and me and the Q Crew be all up in this bish. Infidel who runs this blog says all y'alls over in Satanland got some big hard-on about this Iraqi election sh*t, and asked me if I would jack his hit counter with a little local Q Crew flava. Normally Zarkman would tell the tell the punkass bitch to go suck it. But the choads at Pajamas Media are passin' out the Haterade,...

''One anecdote from Mosul," said General Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at the National Defense University earlier this month. ''There was a police recruiting station. Forty young men lined up to sign up to become Iraqi policemen. A vehicle-borne IED explodes -- kills or badly injures 12 of them. The next day, the 28 remaining return to the same spot to sign up to be policemen. ''And that kind of courage," the general told his audience, ''is being shown across Iraq by literally thousands and thousands of Iraqis who want to serve their country." But...

• With President Bush on the offensive about Iraq, he gives Brit Hume the exclusive you can't miss! His strategy for success, plan for the troops, and blue print for victory — only on “Special Report with Brit Hume” today at 6 p.m. ET! (replay at midnight ET)

"Used with permission from OpinionJournal.com, a web site from Dow Jones & Company, Inc." Iraqis will go to the polls tomorrow for the third time this year. Their actions mark both a triumph for the Iraqi people and a warning for Arab autocrats. Not only has the Iraqi march toward democracy proved naysayers wrong, but Iraqis' growing embrace of democracy demonstrates the wisdom of staying the course. Iraqis are changing political culture. Howard Dean and John Murtha may believe that the U.S. military has lost. Brent Scowcroft may think Arab democracy a pipe dream. They are mistaken. The greatest impediment...

BAGHDAD, Dec 12 (Reuters) - Secular Iraqi insurgents warned al Qaeda and other militant groups on Monday not to mount attacks to disrupt this week's parliamentary election after the militants said anyone who voted would be an "apostate". The position contrasted sharply with the bloody run-up to January polls, when Sunni Arab nationalist insurgents issued their own threats of violence against voters. Sunni Arabs largely boycotted that election for an interim assembly and were thus significantly under-represented. Abu Mohammed, a Saddam Hussein loyalist, said threats from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, and other groups, would not...

SECULAR VOICE: Tired of sectarian violence, more Iraqis appear to be turning to secular parties like the one led by former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi. More Iraqis look to vote secular Dec. 15. Many see the nonsectarian parties as the best alternative for a unified and stable Iraq. Like Ali, more Iraqis appear to be turning to one of the Dec. 15 election's secular parties as the best alternative for a unified and stable Iraq. Mostly it's better educated Iraqis or those from smaller ethnic groups who are making this choice, so their prospects for equaling the voting power...