Iraqis in US cast votes
2005-01-28 17:35
Southgate, Michigan - Joyful tears and frequent applause marked the start of US voting on Friday among Iraqi expatriates choosing a new government for their homeland.
Votes were cast beginning at 7am (12:00 GMT) inside an abandoned store in the Detroit suburb of Southgate. Periodically, cheers would erupt from one of the 15 polling stations.
"We feel happy now. This is like America, this voting," said Zoha Yess, 64.
Nearly 26 000 Iraqi expatriates in the United States are expected to vote in Iraq's election. They are voting in four other US cities: Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington and Nashville, Tennessee. Iraqis are also voting in 13 other countries outside Iraq.
Iraqi-Americans have three days to vote, beginning on Friday. They must return to the sites where they registered.
A total of 25 946 Iraqis registered to vote in the United States, with a heavy concentration in the Detroit area.
The US turnout was only around 10 percent of the 240 000 Iraqi-Americans who were thought to be eligible. Jeremy Copeland, speaking for the International Organization for Migration, which organised the vote in 14 countries, said officials never really knew how many people were eligible.
Copeland said some Iraqis lacked documentation to prove they were eligible, such as an Iraqi passport or a driver's license with a photo. For others, the polling places were too far away.
Copeland said some Iraqis also refused to register because they were concerned that their relatives in Iraq could face reprisal, even though all the information collected was kept confidential. The registration period also coincided with the Muslim holiday of Eid-al-Adha, during which thousands of pilgrims travel to Saudi Arabia.
Still, Copeland said officials were heartened by stories of intrepid Iraqis, such as a busload of more than 100 who drove from Washington state to Los Angeles last weekend to register.
Voters will select the 275-member assembly that will draft Iraq's new constitution. The paper ballots will be counted by election staff in all five US cities starting on February 1. Once the counting is finished, on February. 3 at the latest, the IOM will give results to election officials in Iraq, who will announce them, Copeland said.
Edina Lekovic, speaking for the Muslim Public Affairs Council in Los Angeles, said most Iraqi-Americans didn't believe they would significantly alter the outcome, but felt the symbolic importance of casting a ballot.
"The sense is more often about having the right to vote and the access to vote and being thrilled by the opportunity," Lekovic said.
- AP