Allawi seen as Iraq front-runner

[ECH1969]

The surprisingly strong voter turnout and relatively few attacks on election day provided a major boost to the interim prime minister, Ayad Allawi. A month ago, it seemed that Allawi was unlikely to get reappointed; now he is considered the front-runner.

Allawi, a secular Shia and leader of the Iraqi National Accord, has been credited with refusing to delay the balloting and imposing the tight security that ensured a smooth election.

The Bush administration strongly supports Allawi and has been lobbying to keep him in power, according to Iraqi officials. But the United States also would back Abdel-Mahdi if a consensus emerged around his candidacy, the officials say.

"For the Americans, the first choice is Allawi," said a senior Iraqi official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. "Abdel-Mahdi is an acceptable second choice."

http://tinylink.com/?JDC8FqFkIm

[trotsky]

1. GET OUT!

No way! That's incredible! </sarcasm>

[clem_c_rock]

38. YEEEESSSSSSSS!!!!! God I was worried there for a while

[Plaid Adder]

2. Color me not surprised. n/t

[Mari333]

3. Oh Im really surprised....yawn. n/t

[xultar]

4. Whooda Thunk It? n/t

[AngryWhiteLiberal]

5. Wow! What a surprise! I guess American-style democracy is working!

It's the best election money (and the CIA) can buy.

JB

[peekaloo]

6. Freedom is on the march!

jackboots for everybody!

[Lerkfish]

7. I am SHOCKED! SHOCKED to know there is gambling on the premises...

Here's your winnings, inspector.

[Minstrel Boy]

8. He's the Come-shoot-em-in-the-back-o-the-head Kid!

I'm feelin' the Allawimentum!

[yinkaafrica]

13. Allawi and Lo Blo Joe have a lot in common.

They are both traitorous bastards to the very core.

[Walt Starr]

9. Get outta here!

No way! What a SURPRISE ENDING to the Iraqi "elections"!

/sarcasm

:eyes:

[NNN0LHI]

10. Yer shitten me? n/t

[kuozzman]

11. We misunderestimated him! n/t

[yinkaafrica]

12. Back by popular demand!

I really thought the US would have at least
worked in a new puppet ==someone we had not heard of before==
so that the 'election' would at least sort of appear to be on the up and up. But I guess, why bother?
Americans don't care and Iraqis are the subject of this year's
pogrom.

[Rockerdem]

14. Well knock me over with a feather

I was expecting Saddam.

[Cocoa]

15. Iraqis LOVE the CIA's candiadate

I bet Chalabi will do quite well too. Iraqis also LOVE the Pentagon's candidate.

[cthrumatrix]

28. freedom to choose a CIA agent -- ahhhh democracy!

[Magleetis]

16. The corruption

and manipulation by the US is so predictable its funny. Bush has turned America into the land of BS.

[daleo]

17. It would be funny if it wasn't sickening. n/t

[tabasco]

18. OH MY ! What a surprise !

The hand-picked US puppet wins !

I bet the Iraqis will be simply overjoyed with "democracy."

[Charles19]

19. He may still end up Prime Minister but his party hardly won....

United Iraqi Alliance did and from this link it looks like they waited all but five minutes to start talking about getting the U.S. out of Iraq:

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,12123244%255E401,00.html

[roenyc]

20. is katherine blackwell counting the ballots? nt

[FloridaPat]

21. Wasn't this election for a bunch of people who are going to vote for

a prime miniter or whatever? So how can he be ahead of anything? Weren't there to be 500 or so elected from this farst?

[reprobate]

27. This election was solely to elect a constitutional convention.

They are to write a constitution to be voted on later. This was never supposed to be a vote for representatives or prime minister.

Once again the State Media gets it wrong. Intentionally.

[Charles19]

31. I wish someone would poll

Fox News viewers with the following...

The elections in Iraq were for:

a) Prime Minister
b) Representation in a 275 seat parliament
c) Representation in a constitutional convention
d) b and c

I have a feeling their score wouldn't be too pretty. Neither would it be pretty for non Fox News viewers but who wants to pass up a chance to make them look bad, certainly not I!

For the parent poster you are actually wrong too. It is not c it is actually d.

[AG78]

22. So purple stained fingers

for a CIA stooge?

Who knew?

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, can you taste that sweet nectar of liberty?

[Scurrilous]

23. Let purple reign! n/t

[Straight Shooter]

24. What's behind Door #1? What's behind Door #2? Door #3?

It's Allawi the Executioner.

[0007]

25. Vegas bookmakers have Allawi as a 10,000 to 1 favorite

[LynnTheDem]

26. "Saddam without a mustach", as the Iraqis call him

And Chalabi for president???

Gee shock shock.

The world sees American "democracy" exactly for what it is.

[d_b]

Where is Orwell when you need a good line.

[SmokingJacket]

30. If I could pick anyone to come back to life and comment on these times...

I'd pick Orwell.

[complain jane]

29. Democracy! Yay!

As if it ever would have gone any other way.

[saigon68]

32. The mayor of Baghdad

Makes another remarkable "RECOVERY"

[Mr_Spock]

33. One mass-murderer supports another. Hmmm, business as usual

...in Iraq AND in the US. What a bunch of fucking fools. Allawi shot 6 people in the head - he's a murderer who should be executed - so what do we do? We promote him - we like the Sadam type I guess...

[jdj]

34. Where's Gomer Pile when you need him?

Oh, I forgot, he's the president.

[Caledonia]

35. Not according the BBC report

The gave Sistani ahead by over one million votes.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4233727.stm

[VegasWolf]

36. What's little georgie going to do when a theocracy takes over Iraq?n/t

[Caledonia]

39. Well

Sistani is going to try to involve the Sunni's in the new government, hehe.

Will be nice if it works, but I am not holding my breath.

[ECH1969]

40. You don't seem to understand how this election is structured

In order to pick a PM a party needs 2/3rds of the vote for its candidate.

Sistani isn't running, he isn't a candidate. He endorsed a combined list of candidates.

In order to pick a PM the Shiite list will need to ally itself with the Kurds to meet that threashold. If the Kurds back Allawi then Allawi will end up as PM for the next year.

Right now the Shiite list is in deep trouble because the Kurds are looking more favorable on Allawi.

[ECH1969]

41. Not just that the Shiite list hasn't chosen

one person as PM, right now there are three potential PM candidates in the Shiite list battling it out and if they can't decide on one the PM job is sure to go to Allawi.

The reason why the Shiites are attacking Allawi today and leaking this preliminary info early (which doesn't even include any Kurdish areas) is that they are trying to stop Allawi's momentum.

Most Kurds and Sunnis are deeply distrustful of the religious Shia, which has been the biggest thing working to Allawis benifit. The thing that has worked to Allawi's detriment more then anything is the Sunni boycott of the election, which would have more evenly distributed power and given the Sunnis a real voice.

[muriel_volestrangler]

43. Are you sure?

The assembly will have law-making powers. But first it must elect a state presidency council made up of a president and two deputies. The council in turn will choose a prime minister who will select ministers. The assembly will then vote on the make-up of the government.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3971635.stm

Where does the two thirds come into it? Surely they'd be working to a simple majority - otherwise they might never get a decision?

[AG Al Gonzalez]

37. kick

1

[Kinkistyle]

42. Wow, Iraqi's elections are JUST LIKE OURS!

Hey, anybody else getting a sense of nostalgia here?

Wow, seems like the all signs are pointing to a major Shiite clerical win.... OH WAIT A SEC! Hold your horses, in a major shift in ballot results seems like the Bush-backed candidate takes the lead!! Quick start dropping dioxin pills into the United Shiite Alliance candidate's drink!

[Generator]

44. By George you've got it!

Beat me to it.

[funnymanpants]

45. New thread makes this story seem unlikely

I just posted an article from the NYT that states Allawai only got 19% of the vote. The Shiites got 75%.

I doubt Allawai will be able to lead with such poor numbers. I would be very shocked, for that matter.

Is this article deliberately misleading?

[ignatius 2]

46. No way, knock me over with a fucking feather!

n/t

[Jack Rabbit]

47. Horsepucky.

From the BBC Online
Dated Thursday February 3

First partial result in Iraq vote

Iraq's electoral commission says 1.6m ballots have been counted at its headquarters over the past two days.

The ballots represent about 10% of registered voters, poll officials said.

Partial results show the United Alliance, backed by Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, leading with more than one-million votes.

The Alliance's nearest rival so far is the list of candidates led by interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, with about 360,000 votes.

Read more.

The Bushies may favor their quisling puppet, but the Iraqi people do not.