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claims that poll was rigged raise fears of fresh
insurgency
From Stephen Farrell in Baghdad
12/21/05 "The
Times" -- -- SUNNI politicians in Iraq launched a
fierce attack yesterday on the credibility of last week’s watershed
general election, in what could be the first step towards their
rejection of the eventual outcome.
As a religious Shia coalition swept the board the newly engaged
Sunni leaders issued barely concealed warnings of trouble ahead,
prompting fears that insurgents will take it as a signal to renew
violence.
Provisional results with more than 90 per cent of votes counted in
most provinces show that the religious Shia bloc, the United Iraqi
Alliance, won at least 110 seats in the 275-seat Council of
Representatives which will govern Iraq for the next four years.
The Kurdish Alliance is a distant second with more than 40 seats,
the main Sunni bloc Tawafoq in third place with 35 plus and Ayad
Allawi, the secular Shia former prime minister upon whom the hopes
of Western governments were pinned, far behind in fourth with 20
seats.
All will see their seats boosted over the coming weeks by complex
electoral arithmetic that favours the larger factions, while
assuring minority groups of some representation.
Adnan al-Dulaimi, leader of Tawafoq, claimed the election was rigged
and demanded the poll be rerun in Baghdad, where the ruling Shia
United Iraqi Alliance gained 59 per cent. “Such results are not in
the interests of the Iraqi people,” said Mr Dulaimi. “This might
lead to disturbing results for harmony all over Iraq.”
His fellow Sunni, Mukhlif al-Ulayan, thundered: “We will stand firm
against this conspiracy. We will not allow the formation of a
government or national assembly no matter how much it costs.”
It is however, unclear whether the Sunnis intend to unleash violence
or are merely manouevring for position in the horse-trading that
lies ahead. The Shia faction, whose critics accuse it of being close
to Iran, dominates the current Government with 140 seats won in the
January election largely boycotted by Sunnis.
The Sunnis hoped to whittle away its power by their participation
last week, but the partial results caused dismay. Iraq’s electoral
commission conceded there were some irregularities, but said they
should not affect the overall result. The final result will not be
released until the new year pending investigations. The poor
performance of Dr Allawi — a former Baathist Shia whom many hoped
would prove a moderating influence on the sectarian groups — at
least avoided the virtual oblivion to which Ahmad Chalabi and other
minority parties were consigned. Dr Chalabi, a former Pentagon
favourite, may secure one or more seats in the assembly, but is
unlikely to be a kingmaker.
The result clearly disappointed Western governments.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the US Ambassador who had urged voters to elect
unity candidates, conceded last night that they had paid little
heed. “It looks as if people have preferred to vote for their ethnic
or sectarian identities,” he said.
Remaining upbeat over the turnout, estimated at 68 to 72 per cent,
he urged the government to be sensitive about who it appoints as
Interior Minister — in charge of the Iraqi police force that Sunnis
have accused of operating torture chambers. In what is widely seen
as a sideswipe at the incumbent Bayan Jabr, a Shia Islamist, he
said: “The selection of the Minister of Interior will be very
important. You can’t have someone sectarian, you need to have
someone who has the confidence of all communities.”
Copyright 2005 Times Newspapers Ltd.
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