Sunni leaders reject Iraq charter

[sabra]

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2005-10-25T143314Z_01_YUE552379_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAQ-REFERENDUM-SUNNIS.xml

Sunni leaders reject Iraq charter

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Arab Sunni leaders rejected a referendum which ratified a new Iraqi constitution on Tuesday, saying "fraudulent" results would discourage them from taking part in December elections and fuel insurgent violence.

"Violence is not the only solution, if politics offers solutions so that we can move in that direction. But there is very little hope that we can make any gains in the elections," said Sunni leader Saleh Mutlaq.

"I call on the free world. I call on the United Nations to intervene. We will not accept any referendum or election without international observers."

Iraq's Electoral Commission released final results of an October 15 referendum showing 79 percent approval for the constitution, a key part of the U.S. strategy of deflating of Sunni Arab insurgency in Iraq by promoting peaceful politics.

[Nordmadr]

1. Sounds like a call for civil war to me. N/T

[MissMillie]

2. Most experts in the field have said

that civil war was the only place this would end up, given the rush to draw up the charter.

We started it. That is *'s legacy.

[ixion]

3. I guess the Sunnis didn't get the memo

haven't they heard? It's a milestone banner day in Iraq. :eyes:

[ShockediSay]

4. 2/3's voting from each of 3 provinces had to reject

2/3's voting from each of 3 provinces had to reject to invalidate the constitution. 2/3's was easily reached in 2 provinces. In a third, a swing province, the 55-60% 'no' vote fell just short of the required 2/3's. And guess what? A lot of the polls in that 3d province were closed.

I think that's what I heard this morning on NPR.

Sorta reminds me of FL in '00 and OH in '04. Who says American style democracy has no chance in Iraq. What with these voting irregularities and the massive amounts stolen from public funding, I'd say they're already there.

PS: Regarding civil war in Iraq:
Don't know if too many folks follow political developments in another predominantly Islamist democratic state, Algeria, but they appear to be just coming out of about a ten year long high-death-count civil war themselves.