Some Iraq Sunnis, Shiites Threaten Boycott

[kpete]

Some Iraq Sunnis, Shiites Threaten Boycott By PATRICK QUINN, Associated Press Writer
11 minutes ago



BAGHDAD, Iraq - Dozens of Sunni Arab and secular Shiite groups threatened Thursday to boycott Iraq's new legislature if complaints about tainted voting are not reviewed by an international body.


A representative for former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi described the Dec. 15 vote as "fraudulent" and the elected lawmakers "illegitimate."

A joint statement issued by 35 political groups that competed in last week's elections said the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq, which oversaw the ballot, should be disbanded.

It also said the more than 1,250 complaints about fraud, ballot box stuffing and intimidation should be reviewed by international organizations such as the United Nations.

The groups included the main Sunni Arab coalition — Adnan al-Dulaimi's Iraqi Accordance Front — and a secular Shiite bloc headed by Allawi.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051222/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq;_ylt=AuqTc1dkdejRwCw09c9Ji5Gs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA2Z2szazkxBHNlYwN0bQ--

[chelsea0011]

1. Freedom is sometimes messy.