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October 18, 2005
Focus On The Sunni Vote
There have been reports of irregularities in some of the vote tallies for the Iraq constitution. Strategy Page (via Free Republic) has a sensible take:
Old customs die hard in Iraq, as they do everywhere. The final tally for the October 15 vote is being held up in several Kurdish and Shia districts because the numbers look suspicious. These areas are reporting 99 percent in favor of the constitution. Although these areas were expected (by opinion polls) to be solidly in favor of the new constitution, nothing, in a free vote, is ever 99 percent. [...] But ever since elections were introduced to this area about 80 years ago, ancient attitudes towards tribal unity have encouraged the manipulation of results so that near unanimity was presented as the outcome. So here, even in a situation where the locals were voting in the direction many tribal leaders wanted, officials apparently felt compelled to doctor the results to show near total agreement. So the government is conducting a public investigation. It's unlikely anyone will go to jail, but offenders will be publicly lectured, and wrists will be slapped.
Emphasis mine. This is not a big deal except to the selective-vision utopian left; of course the MSM will attempt to use the irregularities to cast doubt on the entire election process.
Of much greater importance is the breakdown of the Sunni vote. Again, the MSM has tried to emphasiz the "no" side of the Sunni vote, and indeed the constitution was rejected in the Sunni-majority provinces of Salah al-Din and al-Anbar. (Although of course this confirms, rather than negates, the validity of the voting process.) But in the other two Sunni provinces, the constitution was by solid majorities: Ninevah province voted 76.6% yes and Diyala province voted 55% yes.
It's obvious that a significant number of Sunnis voted "yes" to the constitution--and that should be headline news.
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Comments
You know, the whole "the Sunnis" are unhappy is being blown way out of proportion. The sheer fact that Sunni leaders tried to get their people to vote against the constitution means the democratic process is working. Don't groups here do it all the time? "Vote no on the school budget," etc.
The MSM is just looking for bad news. The good news is right in front of them, waiting to be reported.
Posted by: Pam at October 18, 2005 09:04 PM
One thing I know: it's a mistake for conservatives to sit back and wait for the Left to say, "Gee, you guys were right about Irag." They haven't even admitted they were wrong about Marxism.
Thank God for the internet and the blogosphere.
Posted by: Jeff at October 20, 2005 12:18 AM
