you guys jumped the boat on this sham election

[HiloBoy]

Officials said turnout among the 14 million eligible voters appeared higher than the 57 percent that had been predicted, although it would be some time before any turnout figure was confirmed. No preliminary results were expected before Monday at the earliest, and final results will not be known for seven to 10 days, the election commission said.



Polls were largely deserted all day in many cities of the Sunni Triangle north and west of the capital, particularly Fallujah, Ramadi and Beiji. In Baghdad's mainly Sunni Arab area of Azamiyah, the neighborhood's four polling centers did not open at all, residents said.



A low Sunni turnout could undermine the new government that will emerge from the vote and worsen tensions among the country's ethnic, religious and cultural groups.

In a reminder of the dangers that persist in Iraq, a British C-130 military transport plane crashed north of Baghdad about a half hour after polls closed at 5 p.m. British Prime Minister Tony Blair (news - web sites) has confirmed that there were British deaths in the crash, but did not say how many. There was no word on the cause or how many people were on board, but variations of the C-130 in the British Air Force can carry up to 128 infantrymen.

 

[docmercer--banned]

Very little Sunni participation ...

Long days ahead I am afraid for the Iraqi folks ...

Hey, they will have a front seat as Bush has plans to launch against Syria as early as February

 

[Phaedrus]

Hooray for a unified Iraq!

<!--StartFragment -->Assyrian Christians Say Kurds Wouldn't Let Them Vote

(Associated Press)
<!--StartFragment -->
NEW YORK -- Some Iraqi Christians say their kinsmen in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq weren't allowed to vote in Sunday's election. Simon George, co-director of an Assyrian satellite television station, says he received "at least 100 calls" from Assyrians complaining about being deprived of the vote in Christian villages around Mosul. He says Assyrian Christians were promised ballot boxes that didn't arrive.
George said he was told that in the Assyrian villages, Kurds "stopped all the elections."

In New York, the Reverend Ken Joseph Junior said he's received similar reports from his fellow Assyrian Christians, and has asked that those villages be given an extra day to cast ballots.

Joseph says he's also concerned that Iranians may have crossed the border to inflate the vote for Shiite parties. He says most Assyrians and other Iraqis want a secular government.

 

[BossTown]

There was no firm count of the number of people who voted, as Iraqi election officials in the evening backed away from an earlier estimate that turnout was approximately 72 percent. Sarid Ayar, spokesman for the electoral commission, said in the evening that the earlier numbers were "anticipations," and Reuter quoted him as "guessing" that maybe 8 million Iraqis voted, which would be a little over 60 percent of registered voters.

WaPo

This is election was just another PR stunt for the Bush Crime Family. Remember the "fall of Saddam's statue"?, the "mission accomplished" landing?, the "transfer of sovereignty"?, and now we can add "the Iraqi elections" - with the result that our man Allawi becomes Prime Minister. Some election. I've been predicting for some time that the "election" would go off fairly well and that all the RWers will joyously proclaim victory and that it will all mean - NOTHING. We are in no less of of a mess (probably more of one) than we were 3 days ago.

And for those Right Wingers out there - If this is so great, can we leave now please? If not I have a blank check I'm waiting to fill out so I can pay your airfare to Baghdad where you can "defend freedom" yourself.

 

[docmercer--banned]

more accurare count is 40-45% according to Debkafile ...

 

[PatPatriot]

Hooray for a unified Iraq!

<!--StartFragment -->Assyrian Christians Say Kurds Wouldn't Let Them Vote

(Associated Press)
<!--StartFragment -->
NEW YORK -- Some Iraqi Christians say their kinsmen in Kurdish-controlled northern Iraq weren't allowed to vote in Sunday's election. Simon George, co-director of an Assyrian satellite television station, says he received "at least 100 calls" from Assyrians complaining about being deprived of the vote in Christian villages around Mosul. He says Assyrian Christians were promised ballot boxes that didn't arrive.
George said he was told that in the Assyrian villages, Kurds "stopped all the elections."

In New York, the Reverend Ken Joseph Junior said he's received similar reports from his fellow Assyrian Christians, and has asked that those villages be given an extra day to cast ballots.

Joseph says he's also concerned that Iranians may have crossed the border to inflate the vote for Shiite parties. He says most Assyrians and other Iraqis want a secular government.
<!-- / message -->

Jesus it sounds like broward county fla. in 2000 or Cleveland 2004.
Wheres Jesse and Sharpton on this?


kill ya don't it