Please don't type in all CAPS, it's the equivalent to YELLING, let alone hard to read, thank you.
Why can't Iraqi's and Kurds use absentee ballots?
In America, if you know you can't get to the polls, you can cast an absentee ballot by mail.
Wouldn't this be an answer to the question of security at the polling places that are dangerous, or people being snowed in?
Is this allowed?
Why can't Iraqi's and Kurds use absentee ballots?
In America, if you know you can't get to the polls, you can cast an absentee ballot by mail.
Wouldn't this be an answer to the question of security at the polling places that are dangerous, or people being snowed in?
Is this allowed?
anne
in iraq postal services don't work :D
anne
in iraq postal services don't work :D
I think postal services only work between governmental services. But there is so little time to print out millions of ballots and checking them in 8 week's time.
I think postal services only work between governmental services. But there is so little time to print out millions of ballots and checking them in 8 week's time.
Postal services in Iraq? are you crazy? Iraqi people, always make sure their letters are hand delivered, they would never trust any kind of postal service (mainly because there never has been one). Any I believe it to be a good thing to postpone elections and ignore TAL, I read the TAL thing, and it dictates everything that should be done, automatically ruling out alot of possibilites, it is too rigid and to pro arab. Thirdley, I'm very happy that the Kurds are delaying the elections until the Summer, this will give alot of time for unregistered Kurds to be eligible to Vote, allow alot of people to come back, and alot more people will coming to voting age by that time.
Postal services in Iraq? are you crazy? Iraqi people, always make sure their letters are hand delivered, they would never trust any kind of postal service (mainly because there never has been one). Any I believe it to be a good thing to postpone elections and ignore TAL, I read the TAL thing, and it dictates everything that should be done, automatically ruling out alot of possibilites, it is too rigid and to pro arab. Thirdley, I'm very happy that the Kurds are delaying the elections until the Summer, this will give alot of time for unregistered Kurds to be eligible to Vote, allow alot of people to come back, and alot more people will coming to voting age by that time.
Swara do u think that the elections are postponed ?
It is not.
Swara do u think that the elections are postponed ?
It is not.
No I dont think they are, but I'm pretty Sure they will be.
No I dont think they are, but I'm pretty Sure they will be.
A six month delay is too long. Two months is the most you can hope for.
If elections aren't held before April 9th, there is likely to be more violence because the insurgents will use the anniversay of the invasion to launch more uprisings.
It would be useful to get the Sunnis to participate in the elections though, because otherwise Sistani's faction will be too dominant.
The only way you will get a delay though is if you can get the UN to meet with the government and with the Shia faction and work out a deal to guarentee there won't be any more delays after that. The reasons would have to be verified and openly disclosed by the UN election commission, and they would have to remain involved and promise to ensure that there would be no more delays.
I suspect some of the Sunni parties are just stalling for strategic reasons and have no intention of participating in the election at all. So we should not be too accomodating to them.
A six month delay is too long. Two months is the most you can hope for.
If elections aren't held before April 9th, there is likely to be more violence because the insurgents will use the anniversay of the invasion to launch more uprisings.
It would be useful to get the Sunnis to participate in the elections though, because otherwise Sistani's faction will be too dominant.
The only way you will get a delay though is if you can get the UN to meet with the government and with the Shia faction and work out a deal to guarentee there won't be any more delays after that. The reasons would have to be verified and openly disclosed by the UN election commission, and they would have to remain involved and promise to ensure that there would be no more delays.
I suspect some of the Sunni parties are just stalling for strategic reasons and have no intention of participating in the election at all. So we should not be too accomodating to them.
where the fuck on this Earth hold elections in the middle of winter ?
Even African countries don't have it in the middle of winter.
Then I dont think that this elections is some magical cures for Iraq.
Sistani wants elections now because he knows that sunnis are not participating and kurds cant vote because of the snow so he will be iraq's king.
shame to allow that happen.
demo-qracy
where the fuck on this Earth hold elections in the middle of winter ?
Even African countries don't have it in the middle of winter.
Then I dont think that this elections is some magical cures for Iraq.
Sistani wants elections now because he knows that sunnis are not participating and kurds cant vote because of the snow so he will be iraq's king.
shame to allow that happen.
demo-qracy
The thinking or thought is that the date of january was decided.
Regardless of weather, to postpone elections would send the message to the insurgents that they are getting a hand up, that the Iraqi and Coalition forces have their hands full. It also gives 6 more months for Iran Syria and every other terrorist islamic state to plan and have more chances to carry out terrorist attacks that every news media will jump on.
No, have the elections as they are planned. If the elections are so important FIND a way to vote.
To postpone is to take the European and UN mindset of let's wait and do nothing, perhaps things will be better then. That mindset ALWAYS fails. Wait six months and you have another crisis or reason, will it be that it is too hot to vote?
Iraqis have a chance to change their country.
The thinking or thought is that the date of january was decided.
Regardless of weather, to postpone elections would send the message to the insurgents that they are getting a hand up, that the Iraqi and Coalition forces have their hands full. It also gives 6 more months for Iran Syria and every other terrorist islamic state to plan and have more chances to carry out terrorist attacks that every news media will jump on.
No, have the elections as they are planned. If the elections are so important FIND a way to vote.
To postpone is to take the European and UN mindset of let's wait and do nothing, perhaps things will be better then. That mindset ALWAYS fails. Wait six months and you have another crisis or reason, will it be that it is too hot to vote?
Iraqis have a chance to change their country.
I dont think that the situation in the sunni arabic areas will get so much better in the summer so that we can say it was a good decision to postpone the elections. For the problem with kurdish mountainous villages, why are people talking about this problem only now (we know its going to snow every januari) and why didnt the kurdish leaders think about this problem when they set the date in Baghdad.
I dont think that the situation in the sunni arabic areas will get so much better in the summer so that we can say it was a good decision to postpone the elections. For the problem with kurdish mountainous villages, why are people talking about this problem only now (we know its going to snow every januari) and why didnt the kurdish leaders think about this problem when they set the date in Baghdad.
The problem is that if the elections are posponed it will give hope to the terrorists trying to destroy Iraq and serve to increase their funding, manpower and thus attacks on Iraq.
The kurds are just gonna have to suck it up and get to those polling stations in the snow. Instead of saying it can't be done you should be demanding more money to clear the roads and add more polling stations in remote locations at the time of the election.
The problem is that if the elections are posponed it will give hope to the terrorists trying to destroy Iraq and serve to increase their funding, manpower and thus attacks on Iraq.
The kurds are just gonna have to suck it up and get to those polling stations in the snow. Instead of saying it can't be done you should be demanding more money to clear the roads and add more polling stations in remote locations at the time of the election.
i dont think the elections will do any good.
suicide bombings and insurgency won't stop even after the elections.
i dont think the elections will do any good.
suicide bombings and insurgency won't stop even after the elections.
Saman,
I agree the elections won't stop the hard-line Sunni insurgents from trying to kill people. But what it will do is boost the morale of the Iraqi government security forces, who will know that they are working for a elected government supported by the majority of the Iraqi people. It will also give courage to all Iraqi government officials. The only way to defeat the insurgency is by making the Iraqi security forces stronger. When the insurgents realise they cannot win, even if the Americans leave, they will start to give up.
Saman,
I agree the elections won't stop the hard-line Sunni insurgents from trying to kill people. But what it will do is boost the morale of the Iraqi government security forces, who will know that they are working for a elected government supported by the majority of the Iraqi people. It will also give courage to all Iraqi government officials. The only way to defeat the insurgency is by making the Iraqi security forces stronger. When the insurgents realise they cannot win, even if the Americans leave, they will start to give up.
If you postpone the elections, it will just encourage more terrorism and problems, as the insurgents will see it as a victory and be made stronger. The truth of the matter is there's no perfect way of doing it, so you will have to just accept whatever flaws that occur and go from there. It might not be perfect, but
it's better than not having them.
As far as the isolated Kurdish villagers, if you can't bring the villagers to the polling places, maybe another way would be to bring the polls to the villagers.
If you postpone the elections, it will just encourage more terrorism and problems, as the insurgents will see it as a victory and be made stronger. The truth of the matter is there's no perfect way of doing it, so you will have to just accept whatever flaws that occur and go from there. It might not be perfect, but
it's better than not having them.
As far as the isolated Kurdish villagers, if you can't bring the villagers to the polling places, maybe another way would be to bring the polls to the villagers.
Agreed with the posters who say don't postpone. No - the elections will not stop murderers hell bent on destroying your country. Only killing them will do that and we are doing an admirable job of that right now.
As far as the difficulty in voting in a mountainous village in the snow - there are several solutions to that and the coalition forces willing to do what it takes to make it happen. Are you open to that possibility? Or should we just give up and sigh and worry...
Agreed with the posters who say don't postpone. No - the elections will not stop murderers hell bent on destroying your country. Only killing them will do that and we are doing an admirable job of that right now.
As far as the difficulty in voting in a mountainous village in the snow - there are several solutions to that and the coalition forces willing to do what it takes to make it happen. Are you open to that possibility? Or should we just give up and sigh and worry...
is there any news about the sunnis participating ?
coz if not then iraq will be a proper shia-ruled country.
is there any news about the sunnis participating ?
coz if not then iraq will be a proper shia-ruled country.
As we say in the States - if you don't vote you don't have the right to bitch about what you get.
If the Sunni's refuse to vote they are doing themselves a great disservice.
As we say in the States - if you don't vote you don't have the right to bitch about what you get.
If the Sunni's refuse to vote they are doing themselves a great disservice.
yeah that is true monica but aren't u scared from a shia-controlled Iraq ?
shia's are quite conservative when it comes to Islam.
sunnis and kurds fear from another iran
yeah that is true monica but aren't u scared from a shia-controlled Iraq ?
shia's are quite conservative when it comes to Islam.
sunnis and kurds fear from another iran
I don't think postponing the elections would be a good idea. It will definitely encourage the terrorists. Even though the elections will not be a magic cure-all, finally having a completely legitimate sovereign Iraqi government and legislature will improve the situation.
I don't really understand the weather and time of year arguments. In my country elections and referendas may be held at any time of the year and in any kind of weather. I am sure there will be enough money to ensure that the ballot boxes are where they are needed so that everyone who wants to get's to vote.
I am also confident that once it is clear the elections are going to happen the majority of sunnis will participate - in the end most will realise that the they just have too much to lose to rely only on the insurgency to bring them back to power.
I don't think postponing the elections would be a good idea. It will definitely encourage the terrorists. Even though the elections will not be a magic cure-all, finally having a completely legitimate sovereign Iraqi government and legislature will improve the situation.
I don't really understand the weather and time of year arguments. In my country elections and referendas may be held at any time of the year and in any kind of weather. I am sure there will be enough money to ensure that the ballot boxes are where they are needed so that everyone who wants to get's to vote.
I am also confident that once it is clear the elections are going to happen the majority of sunnis will participate - in the end most will realise that the they just have too much to lose to rely only on the insurgency to bring them back to power.
absentee ballots use should be limited at best in this situation, because almost all absentee ballot systems leave some possibility of fraud or at least allow lots and lots of allegation of fraud. We saw the allegations in the recent US elections and in Ukraine the absentee ballot system was in fact used for massive vote fraud.
For the first elections in a country in turmoil the election system must be foolproof and simple. Even small errors like the incorrect ink in some polling stations Afghanistan must be avoided.
absentee ballots use should be limited at best in this situation, because almost all absentee ballot systems leave some possibility of fraud or at least allow lots and lots of allegation of fraud. We saw the allegations in the recent US elections and in Ukraine the absentee ballot system was in fact used for massive vote fraud.
For the first elections in a country in turmoil the election system must be foolproof and simple. Even small errors like the incorrect ink in some polling stations Afghanistan must be avoided.
Saman,
I can't say that I'm 'scared' of a Shia controlled Iraq. I AM worried that the whole thing will go in the shitcan and Iraq will end up with a theocractic dictatorship.
In the end it's up to the Iraqis who vote and participate that will determine the course of this country. Can you tell me what the majority of Iraqis want? I certainly don't know and WON'T know until a few elections have passed. The opportunity is here - right here right now - we'll see what happens.
Saman,
I can't say that I'm 'scared' of a Shia controlled Iraq. I AM worried that the whole thing will go in the shitcan and Iraq will end up with a theocractic dictatorship.
In the end it's up to the Iraqis who vote and participate that will determine the course of this country. Can you tell me what the majority of Iraqis want? I certainly don't know and WON'T know until a few elections have passed. The opportunity is here - right here right now - we'll see what happens.
Kurdo,
Although your reasons for postponement are logical I don’t think that it will happen. This is purely a selfish American point of view. I believe there are many like myself that want America out of Iraq as soon as possible. To delay may result in more Falujah type assaults in other areas. Without an Iraqi army to help put down these rebellions I’m afraid that in 6 months the country could be in much worse shape than it is today.
The new government will surely be dominated by the shi’as . This will most likely result in a Shiite dominated army which hopefully with Kurdsish help will show the Sunnie Arab rebels that rebellion will lead to death and destruction to themselves and their families . There are much more of the Shiites and Kurds then there are Americans. This makes them more capable of putting down a rebellion. The Americans can kick the shit out of any fighting force in a single battle but we lack the manpower, language or cultural skills to maintain order.
Kurdo,
Although your reasons for postponement are logical I don’t think that it will happen. This is purely a selfish American point of view. I believe there are many like myself that want America out of Iraq as soon as possible. To delay may result in more Falujah type assaults in other areas. Without an Iraqi army to help put down these rebellions I’m afraid that in 6 months the country could be in much worse shape than it is today.
The new government will surely be dominated by the shi’as . This will most likely result in a Shiite dominated army which hopefully with Kurdsish help will show the Sunnie Arab rebels that rebellion will lead to death and destruction to themselves and their families . There are much more of the Shiites and Kurds then there are Americans. This makes them more capable of putting down a rebellion. The Americans can kick the shit out of any fighting force in a single battle but we lack the manpower, language or cultural skills to maintain order.
continued
My hope is that an elected government could provide an army capable of keeping order.
The type of brutal laws and policing that will be necessary to weed out these terrorist insurgents is something that the Americans can’t do. The world seems to not mind if Arabs are brutal to each other but if America makes a few guys play naked twister Al Jazeera has an hour of news discussing what a bunch of dicks we are. The type of things that an elected government will have to do to maintain order will make Abu Ghraib look like a boy scout camp.
The Sunnie Arabs currently see themselves as fighting an outside force (America) After the election they will be fighting a civil war against people that cannot be driven out through a popular opinion poll in America. For them this election must not be allowed to happen. If you’re an American the sooner the Sunnie Arabs start seeing America as a secondary threat the better.
continued
My hope is that an elected government could provide an army capable of keeping order.
The type of brutal laws and policing that will be necessary to weed out these terrorist insurgents is something that the Americans can’t do. The world seems to not mind if Arabs are brutal to each other but if America makes a few guys play naked twister Al Jazeera has an hour of news discussing what a bunch of dicks we are. The type of things that an elected government will have to do to maintain order will make Abu Ghraib look like a boy scout camp.
The Sunnie Arabs currently see themselves as fighting an outside force (America) After the election they will be fighting a civil war against people that cannot be driven out through a popular opinion poll in America. For them this election must not be allowed to happen. If you’re an American the sooner the Sunnie Arabs start seeing America as a secondary threat the better.
Um. I have one thing to say to this.
The Afghans stood for hours in the snow to vote.
Surely Iraqis can do the same.
Um. I have one thing to say to this.
The Afghans stood for hours in the snow to vote.
Surely Iraqis can do the same.
Thank you John - I concur. I would also like to point out that 100's of thousands of Ukrainians are freezing in tents in the snow to push for their freedom and fair elections. Snow doesn't cut it for me. 'Course - I grew up in Colorado - snow doesn't faze me at all - in fact I LOVE snow!
Thank you John - I concur. I would also like to point out that 100's of thousands of Ukrainians are freezing in tents in the snow to push for their freedom and fair elections. Snow doesn't cut it for me. 'Course - I grew up in Colorado - snow doesn't faze me at all - in fact I LOVE snow!
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