99% of Iraq election votes valid

[sabra]

http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=76182006

99% of Iraq election votes valid

Iraq's electoral commission has ruled that more than 99% of the ballots from the December 15 elections were valid, opening the way for a new government to start coming together.

Final election results have so far been delayed by Sunni Arab complaints of fraud, and opposition groups wishing to lodge further protests in an effort to gain politically could hold up the naming of Iraq's new leaders for two to three months.

[KerryReallyWon]

1. 99% is impossible for "first time out"

impossible

[jsamuel]

2. basically, they have no way of proving 99% of the votes invalid...

[ChairmanAgnostic]

3. even better than Ohio.

[napi21]

4. If that's so, why was there a note on CNN this AM saying Iraq

had to throw out....

BAGHDAD, Iraq Jan 16, 2006 — Iraq's electoral commission said Monday that it is throwing out votes from 227 ballot boxes in last month's parliamentary elections because of fraud, a tiny percentage of the total vote that shouldn't greatly affect overall results.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1510361

Yes, I read the part that said it shouldn't affect the results, but doesn't 227 ballot boxes sound like a LOT?

[Igel]

10. And yet it's less than 1% of the number of ballot boxes.

Such is life when the only way for most people to get to the polling places is on foot.

[daleo]

5. They said the votes were "valid", not counted properly

"Election officials annulled some of the boxes because fake ballots were used, said Hussein Hendawi, an IECI official. The votes of about 53 boxes were annulled because too many votes were cast, he said."

There is a big difference. There is no way of knowing how honest the count was from this.

[Village Idiot]

6. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Too funny!!! It is not too difficult to believe that Iraqis are less backward than Floridians, but 99% is a little high for even me to believe...

[stepnw1f]

7. surrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre! (nt)

[Atman]

8. Isn't that what Saddam always claimed, 99%?

I mean, really...Saddam always won 99% of the vote, and I'm sure he always said those were valid votes, too. The Bush/Saddam comparisons grow!

[m0nkeyneck]

9. What were they voting on?

</sarcasm></i think>

[leesa]

11. Oh, that's a good one! Who certified it? Ken Blackwell? Mr Diebold?

[kaplan3602]

12. And if you believe that...

... I have a bridge I'd like to sell you.