Early Baghdad Returns Show Shiites Leading

[rodeodance]

they are alingned with Iran as far as I know.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051219/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_election_results;_ylt=Aj3LTfxkUvvkHAC7tTn.7nis0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ--
Early Baghdad Returns Show Shiites Leading

24 minutes ago

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Preliminary results from most of Baghdad's ballot boxes showed the Shiite United Iraqi Alliance leading with 58 percent of the vote in Iraq's biggest electoral district, an election official said Monday.

With results from 89 percent of Baghdad, the electoral commission said the alliance received 1,403,901 votes, followed by the Sunni Arab Iraqi Accordance party with 451,782 votes and former prime Minister Ayad Allawi's Iraqi National List with 327,174.

The commission did not provide any more details

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[hwmnbn]

2. We'll have to wait until the .....

Diebold factor kicks in.

Of course the Shiites will win, they outnumber the Sunnis 3 to 1. They are just as polarized over there as repugs and democrats are over here. So I wouldn't expect many crossover votes or many "issues" based votes for that matter.

I doubt there's much concern for campaign financing questions over there either.

[joefree1]

3. Thank you repukes

... for creating another Islamic Fundamentalist Theocracy in the Middle East. Democracy is on the march.
:sarcasm:

[Javaman]

4. Soooprise, soooprise, soooprise...

get ready for the mega-Iranian state coming to a war near you.

[JoFerret]

5. Surprise result!

And in other news: Bush lied today.

[gratuitous]

6. So, who's going to be the new Shiite head?

No real message, just going for the cheap joke before the real carnage begins in the Middle East that will ensue from Shiite hegemony in Iran and Iraq.

[Clara T]

7. Note Chalabi's Performance

Iraq's Shia Islamists take lead in election
By Steve Negus, Iraq Correspondent
Monday, December 19, 2005
Posted: 01:20 PM EST (18:20 London)

Iraq's election commission on Monday released preliminary results for last week's parliamentary election, indicating that the Shia Islamist United Iraqi Alliance (UIA) was taking a strong lead.

Sunni and Kurdish parties also did well, while a coalition led by former prime minister Iyad Allawi and other cross-sectarian alliances took fewer votes than many had expected.

<snip>

The results, if confirmed, are also likely to be a disappointment to the US and British governments, which were reportedly hoping that a strong showing for Mr Allawi would limit the power of the Alliance, which many Sunnis consider to be a force contributing to the polarisation of the country.

In Baghdad, the UIA took 58.7 per cent of valid ballots cast, while the Sunni-led Iraqi Consensus Front received 18.9 per cent and Mr Allawi 13.6 per cent.

http://us.ft.com/ftsuperpage/superpage.php?news_id=fto121920051332311152

And take note of Chalabi's underwhelming results:"The Iraqi National Congress of controversial Shia politician Ahmed Chalabi, tipped as a possible prime ministerial candidate, did much worse than many had expected, taking only 0.36 per cent of the vote in Baghdad and 0.34 per cent in Basra."

[Journeyman]

22. Wow. Chalabi swept his immediate circle of friends. . .

n/t

[RedEarth]

8. Early Results Show Religious Groups Leading in Iraqi Vote

Early Results Show Religious Groups Leading in Iraqi Vote
By EDWARD WONG
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Dec. 19 - Early voting results announced by Iraqi electoral officials today indicated that religious groups, particularly the main Shiite coalition, had taken a commanding lead, with nearly two-thirds of the ballots having been counted.

The secular coalition led by Ayad Allawi, the former prime minister, had won only meager support in crucial provinces where it had expected to do well, including Baghdad. The front-runner in Sunni Arab regions was a religious coalition whose leaders have advocated resistance to both the American military and the Shiite-led government and has insisted that President Bush set a timetable for withdrawal.

The preliminary results accounted for more than 90 percent of votes cast in 11 of Iraq's 18 provinces. About seven million ballots have been counted across the country, of an estimated turnout of 11 million in the vote last Thursday for a full, four-year government, electoral officials said.

Officials warned that today's results were uncertified and could still change. The Iraqi electoral commission has received 692 complaints of campaigning violations or voter fraud, at least 20 of which are considered serious enough to potentially "affect specific election results," said Adel al-Lami, the commission's chief electoral officer. Several candidates, including Mr. Allawi, have angrily accused the main Shiite coalition of resorting to such underhanded tactics as tearing down posters and ordering police officers to campaign for the coalition.

..........

The early results for Baghdad province, the most diverse region of the country, provided the strongest indication of the religious nature of the voting. With 89 percent of the ballots there counted, the main Shiite coalition, the United Iraqi Alliance, had won 1.4 million votes, or 59 percent of the total. The runner-up was the Iraqi Consensus Front, the main religious Sunni Arab coalition, with 19 percent of the votes. Mr. Allawi's secular coalition, the Iraqi List, came in third, at 14 percent.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/19/international/middleeast/19cnd-iraq.html?ei=5094&en=b0e5f6785bbe21ca&hp=&ex=1135054800&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print

[kenny blankenship]

9. Americans are a religious people also

they should be thrilled to have their children die to help create a theocracy in Iraq.

[madeline_con]

10. "Officials warned that today's results were uncertified ...

and could still change."

Hey, this "democracy" export business is really working!

[Tyler Durden]

11. When's the vote to legalize "Honor Killings?"

Not to sound like a complete Yahoo, but when an Iraqi COP KILLS his sister for being ABDUCTED for ransom and NOT EVEN TOUCHED because the mere fact of her abduction stains the "family honor," (Interviewed on NPR "All Things Considered"), is NOT even being ARRESTED, and says he would do it again and that it is a tribal custom that will never go away, I say PULL OUT NOW. NOW. RIGHT NOW.

NOT TOMORROW. NOW. AN HOUR AGO.

[ninkasi]

19. Isn't that sick?

Some powder keg brat Bush has ignited, isn't it? I can't even begin to express how much I loathe him, and all of the other neocons. They have condemned millions of Iraqi women to a life in hell, but as long as Halliburton rakes in the cash, they won't care. As a woman, I am sickened and ashamed. As an American, I am ashamed and horrified. When will this stop?

[SoCalDem]

12. They ARE the majority party. I would be surprised if they were NOT leading

So much for a US puppet govt.

[Hyernel]

13. Here's what will happen...

1. Shiites will win the elections and take over
2. New shiite government will demand U.S. Troops leave to be replaced with Iranian "peacekeepers."
3. Bush will be forced to suck it long, and suck it hard.

[The_Casual_Observer]

14. An anti US government will never be able to come to power in Iraq

The "leaders" would be assassinated by some CIA front group before that would happen.

[Hyernel]

15. Maybe...but you forget PNAC's ultimate goal.

Which is to "create" a permanent enemy. A terrorist boogyman that might finally replace the profitible Soviet boogyman that the Carlyle Group so desperately wants.

Peace is not profitable.

[Maggie_May]

16. I hate to say this but

I hope you are right. Least if Iran is involved the oil is going to be a huge fight. But if you are right Bush will want to go into Iran.

[Gloria]

17. Report I heard today on BBC says there will be weeks if not months

of haggling, since the smaller Shiite groups will get enough votes to make demands on the main Shiite group (Alliance)...

Which sets us up for the 4 months to change the Constitution going down the tubes....

[reprobate]

18. Prediction: The worst outcome possible for the US

Civil war, Iran taking over Iraq, both turning on US troops, etc.

Whatever the outcome, you can be sure it will be the worst possible for our interests. After all, that's the usual outcome when Lil Boots is involved in anything. Everything he touched turns to shit.

[rodeodance]

20. Religious Groups Take Early Lead in Iraqi Ballots (those who us out)

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/20/international/middleeast/20iraq.html?th=&emc=th&pagewanted=print

December 20, 2005

Religious Groups Take Early Lead in Iraqi Ballots
By EDWARD WONG

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Dec. 19 - Early voting results announced by Iraqi electoral officials on Monday, with nearly two-thirds of the ballots counted, indicated that religious groups, particularly the main Shiite coalition, had taken a commanding lead. The secular coalition led by Ayad Allawi, the former prime minister, had won only meager support in crucial provinces where it had expected to do well, including Baghdad.

The front-runner among Sunni Arab voters was a religious coalition whose leaders have advocated resistance to the American military and have demanded that President Bush set a timetable for withdrawing the American military from Iraq.

The preliminary results accounted for more than 90 percent of votes cast in 11 of Iraq's 18 provinces. About 7 million ballots have been counted, of an estimated turnout of 11 million in the vote on Thursday for a full, four-year government, electoral officials said.

Officials warned that the results could still change. The Iraqi electoral commission has received 692 complaints of campaign violations or voter fraud, at least 20 of which are considered potentially serious enough to "affect specific election results," said Adel al-Lami, the commission's chief electoral officer. Several candidates, including Mr. Allawi, have angrily accused the main Shiite coalition of underhanded tactics, such as tearing down posters and ordering police officers to campaign for it.

[rodeodance]

21. and no gas.

But protests against the Shiite-led government erupted in some southern cities on Monday, after Mr. Chalabi, a vice prime minister, announced Sunday that the government was cutting back on its consumer fuel subsidies. The price of one liter of leaded gasoline has increased to the equivalent of 10 cents from 3½ cents. Free-market economists say the subsidies have drained the government's budget, and smugglers have been selling the cheap gas for enormous profits in neighboring countries.

[rfkrfk]

23. could you explain why they are aligned with Iran

this is what I don't get.

The two most important Shia shrines are in Iraq,
Shia scholarship was suppressed in the Saddam era in Iraq,
so 'leadership' moved to lesser shrines, those in Iran.

Why would the emerging leadership in Iraq give
to rivals, what they currently have?
You don't just give that away.

{please excuse any following spelling errors}
in Najaf, and Karbala, Iraq,
are shrines to Ali and Hussein,
Ali was the fourth successor to the Prophet.

in Qom, Iran
is a much lesser shrine,
of course, in the Saddam era, that is all {Shia} they had,
so it became important.

[moondust]

24. As predictable as sunrise.

This could have been predicted well before the fools started their war to preempt mushroom clouds. :spray: In fact it probably was--in knowledgeable circles not affiliated with propaganda circles.