Thousands could not vote
2005-02-02 09:22
Baghdad - Iraq's interim president said on Tuesday that tens of thousands of people may have been unable to vote in the country's historic weekend election because some polling places - including those in Sunni Arab areas - ran out of ballots.
As clerks pounded vote-count tallies into computers to compile final results, President Ghazi al-Yawer also said that chaos and a power vacuum in Iraq mean United States forces need to stay for now, even though a new government will be formed after the results are known.
If true, the allegation that many voters were turned away could further alienate Sunnis who already are complaining they have been left out of the political process.
"Tens of thousands were unable to cast their votes because of the lack of ballots in Basra, Baghdad and Najaf," al-Yawer, himself a Sunni Arab, said at a news conference. Najaf is a mostly Shiite city but Basra and Baghdad have substantial Sunni populations.
Elections officials acknowledged that irregularities had kept people away - including the volatile northern and heavily Sunni city of Mosul _ and they called the fact unfortunate. Security worries in Sunni areas were partly to blame for the fact that some polls did not open and ballots were too few, they said.
Election illegitimate
"The elections took place under difficult conditions and this undoubtedly deprived a number of citizens in a number of areas from voting," said Hussein al-Hendawi, who heads the Iraqi electoral commission.
Sunday's election, which occurred without catastrophic rebel attacks, raised hopes that a new Iraqi government would be able to assume greater responsibility for security, hastening the day when the 170 000 US and other foreign troops can go home.
On Monday afternoon, workers at polling centres nationwide finished an initial hand count of ballots from more than 5 200 precincts. Tally sheets and ballots were then trucked to Baghdad under US military escort.
On Tuesday, about 200 clerks began logging data from the tally sheets into laptop computers for the final count. Election officials have not said when the compilation will be completed and final results made public.
The issue of Sunni participation is key because of fears that further political alienation could fuel the Sunni-led insurgency bedeviling the country.
One Iraqi Sunni tribal leader went to the Arab League in Cairo on Tuesday, complaining the election had been illegitimate because it was imposed under military occupation. Some Sunnis called for a boycott because of the presence of US troops.
- AP