Chris Allbritton: What's up with the elections? (Iraq: Very informative)

[Barrett808]

Over at Daily Kos, one item caught my eye: Iraqi Candidate Names Not Released for ‘Security Reasons’.

This is currently absolutely true. I say, “currently” because every political figure I’ve spoken with, both on the Sistani list or running their own, promises me the lists will be published “some day soon.” We’ll see.

But the question that seemed to spark the most comments was this: “Who has the final authority on whether to hold the Iraqi elections on time, or to delay them? Is it Allawi? Or is it some other person or government body?”

Well, here’s the answer: no one has the authority.

Yep. The date of the elections are doubly set in legislative stone because the Transitional Administrative Law (TAL), drawn up by the CPA in the spring of 2004, says that the the elections must not be delayed past Jan. 31 “in any event”. This is further backed up by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1546, which recognizes the Interim Iraqi Government as the sovereign government of Iraq and endorses explicitly the “holding of direct democratic elections by 31 December 2004 if possible, and in no case later than 31 January 2005, to a Transitional National Assembly.”

(much more)

http://www.back-to-iraq.com/archives/000846.php