Thousands protest election results in Baghdad - They know it was rigged

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/focusoniraq/2005/December/focusoniraq_December184.xml§ion=focusoniraq

BAGHDAD - At least 5,000 demonstrators rallied on Tuesday in western Baghdad to protest alleged fraud in Iraq’s December 15 general elections and demand a re-run of the poll as top politicians discussed the formation of a national unity government.

“No democracy without real elections”, “rigged polls”, “down with the electoral commission” read a number of banners.

The demonstration was called by the Maram alliance, an Arabic acronym for the Conference Rejecting Rigged Elections which includes both Sunni Arab and secular factions, dissatisfied with the preliminary election results suggesting that the Shia-based religious parties will control the next parliament.

Ali Al Tamimi, a spokesman for the Maram alliance of some 42 parties and factions said the rally was meant to “show the Iraqi people’s rejection of the ballot-rigging” in the election.

[tx_dem41]

1. Certainly not rigged the way you would think the Administration wanted it.

n/t

[Atman]

2. Just one more thing BushCo has bungled

Their election theft in the United States would not have been as easy to get away with had Americans been half as concerned with free elections as the Iraqis are.

[tx_dem41]

5. To me its evidence that the vote wasn't rigged on any large scale

at all. I don't think it was bungling at vote-rigging on the Administration's part.

[Cults4Bush]

8. Well ya know it was couple hundred thousand last week that protested.

They found a semi full of illegal and prefixed ballots coming from Iran before the vote. The driver said there were several more trucks.

Further considering previous administrations underhanded dealings with Iran I am not at all convinced that this isn't what bushco wanted and if not wanted I doubt that it was overly unacceptable.

Finally any way you cut it none of us have enough real information that is trustworthy enough to say clearly whether this election was rigged one way or the other. There is no evidence to suggest one thing or another as no media outlet is fully trustworthy anymore, it's a little cocksure and gun jumpy to be so convinced that nothing on a large scale was perpetrated upon the Iraqi populace this early and with so little information that is verified through multiple unbiased news services.

[tx_dem41]

10. I read very little media on Iraq, outside of some international

media based in the region and BBC. I read more from Middle East academic experts that live in the region or are very familiar with the region. The voting tally pretty much went as they predicted based on demographics within regions and past voting patterns. Only the mainstream media and its followers were surprised by the results of the Dec. 15 round of elections.

[Cults4Bush]

15. I read anything and everything I can on Iraq.

Everyday.

Again that in no way assures me any kind of accuracy. I am not sure the vote went pretty much the way everyone outside the US thought, seems to me there are some questionable incidents. Until those are resolved I for one wont jump to the conclusion that it was a free and fair election.

All this is for naught anyways, as there will continue to be training of terrorists, there will be more innocent deaths and torture and rape and maiming... apologies Im just rather soured on humans in general these days.

[malaise]

13. So what happened to al those

lovely purple fingers showing how the process was working.

[Atman]

9. I think they simply lost control of everything over there

My guess is, their flowers and hugs scenario probably contained a bullet point about how easy the democratic elections would be for "our side," but as we know, things didn't work out so well. These guys have lost their mystique of being brilliant, quick-on-their-feet strategists, as every such move they've made has ended in disaster. But, I'd bet they had every confidence that they'd bribed the right people and flown in enough friendly Iraqis from the states (I saw two interviews with happy voters on Cabal News, and both said they voted with a bus load of their brothers, one group from Boston, another from Connecticut, flown in for the occasion) to assure at least a squeaker of an outcome in their favor. We have no idea what impact the role of The Lincoln Group's propaganda in the Iraqi papers might have had in nurturing the believability of the posted results, the way the U.S. press helped cover up the Bush fraud here, had that whole operation not been exposed. There are so many variables, but I think BushCo probably tried to rig it as best they could using the old fashioned methods of payola, graft and thuggery in the absence of electronic voting machines and tabulators. The situation there, though, has gotten so far out of their control that they were resigned to resort to plan Q...let whatever happens happen, quit, then find a way to call it a victory.

[tx_dem41]

11. I won't argue that there wasn't some attempt at rigging by the

Administration possibly, but as you say, it was ineffectual at "best". The election results really weren't that big a surprise for those people who don't only pay attention to the MSM.

[marmar]

3. No...

because that ass Chalabi would've been elected.

:nopity: :nopity: :nopity:

[hang a left]

6. How can you be sure? eom

[bryant69]

7. Well you can't

It's very difficult to disprove a conspiracy but impossible when you simply define whatever happens as "well that must be what the conspiracy wanted to have happened."

Chalabi elected prime minister? Proof that the Fix was in.

Chalabi not elected prime minister? Proof that the Fix was in.

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[BushOut06]

4. Bet Bush is pissed because he got beat as his own game

I'm sure he did everything in his power to rig the Iraqi election to get HIS boys in power. Unfortunately, he didn't count on the fact that the entire region is corrupt as hell, Bush got beat at his own election-rigging game!

[NNN0LHI]

12. Anyone who thinks "fair" elections can be held in an occupied country is..

...either being disingenuous or just plain silly. Either way the jig is up. The Iraqis appear to be a lot smarter than many Americans.

Perhaps some need to click their heals together and say aloud "I want the Iraqis to believe the elections aren't rigged" 3 times and maybe that will make it real for them?

And by the way the USA did the same thing in Afghanistan. Those elections weren't real either.

Don

[ProfessorGAC]

14. Can't Be

The elections were a watershed, a shining example, a great success, a beacon of hope, a validation of policy, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. . .
The Professor