News Analysis
By
Sama Hadad
November 29, 2004
Timing
of Elections
Pachachi,
who returned from a five-month stay at his Emirates residence,
convened a meeting with Sunni and Kurdish politicians in
Baghdad, culminating with a joint
statement calling for a six-month delay of the
January elections, citing security concerns. However, these
concerns are either disingenuous or flawed:
- Just
two days prior, the core Sunni parties had
demanded that either elections be delayed due to security
concerns, or the electoral system is changed from a single-constituency
proportional representation system to that of a first-past-the-post
multi-constituency system. What if any links an electoral
system has to the security concerns is bewildering, but
what it reveals is the true motives behind the call for
an elections delay. In a single-constituency proportional
representation system there are virtually no wasted votes
and each list receives the same percentage of seats as
votes, while a multi-constituency first-past-the-post
system invariably produces wasted votes and unfairly skews
results - which they hope to benefit from.
- If
elections are delayed, it is only logical that terrorists
will be emboldened and will drive even harder to ensure
they succeed once again in stalling the democratic process
and thus the security situation will only get worse and
not better.
- A
delay in elections will not bring in those boycotting
the democratic process. Such groups have clearly stated
they will not take part in any elections whilst foreign
troops are in Iraq and troop presence will not change
in six months.
Such
a move, most likely stirred up by neighboring Arab nations
fearful of a budding democracy in their midst, is not gaining
any ground as 42
Shia parties, Sistani,
the electoral
commission, President
Bush, Negroponte
and Senator
Lugar have all dismissed any delay.
