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Last updated on July 27th, 2017 at 05:05 am
In an otherwise miserable AFP report appears an astonishing number:
Iraq’s constitution has been adopted despite stiff opposition from the country’s disaffected Sunni Arab minority, electoral officials announced amid an upsurge of violence nationwide.
“It is an accomplishment for all Iraqis,’’ said commission spokesman Farid Ayyar said in announcing the results 10 days after the landmark referendum on a charter that lays down a democratic future for the post-Saddam Hussein Iraq.
Nationwide, 78 per cent of Iraqis voted for the constitution, the commission said, while opponents failed to muster a two-thirds majority against in at least three of Iraq’s 18 provinces which would have meant its rejection.
- According to my World Almanac, since 1932 voting-age Americans have not once turned out for Presidential elections in such droves. The highest we had in that period was 62.8% in 1960, which was a squeaky-tight race between two young cowpokes named Nixon and Kennedy.Posted by Monroe Doctrine on 10/25 at 10:21 AM • permalink
- Dang it, jlchydro beat me to it. But actually his comment was funnier than what I was going to write.
(Actually, wasn’t the vote for Saddam unanimous? I can’t imagine anyone voting against it. Hell, some of the voters were visibly nervous as they voted).
Posted by wronwright on 10/25 at 12:53 PM • permalink
- jic: Technically, it did. It was rejected by more than 2/3rds in two provinces, but in the only other province that rejected it – Nineveh, it was 12 percentage points away from the elusive 2/3 requirements.
In any case, a achievement worthy of praise – the American constitution was ratified after 2/3 of the 13 states ratified it; the Iraqi constitution ratified after voters in 5/6 of provinces approved of it.
- Saddam gained power by gunning down existing leaders, then any likely opponents, even friends.
In a culture where survival might depend on pre-emptive murder, and disruption of process is a way of life, this new fangled democracy could take a while to reveal its virtues.
We know, but not all of them yet realise, that a bit of co-existence and abiding by the rules of the game sees less people damaged than the Middle Eastern way.
- ABC Radio National this morning faithfully parrotted the ‘just scraped through’ meme. The news cycle is spinning so fast I get dizzy. A few days ago we had the ‘incinerated taliban corpses’ scandal, which has already disappeared. Then the Brazil gun referendum – all outrage expended within less than 24 hours. You step away from the radio to boil an egg, and by the time you’re cracking the top off, a constitutional ‘quagmire’ has come and gone.
- Imagine the outcry from the left if the Howard government set up a referendum system whereby the only way a proposal could pass the vote would have to be 66% in 5 of the 6 states.
The Coalition Forces and the Interim Iraqi government set up a constitutional proposal with a huge hurdle to jump over to get it passed and they succeeded. Just scraped home hey? What a joke the ABC has become. 78% in favour is just scraping home? I’m still shaking my head. The opposition still fell 12% short in the province they had to get 67%. Why are they not reporting that the constitutional passing was quite comfortable?
- ABC news this morning….Iraqi representative on referendum–2sentences -10 seconds max…..ABC news presenter 30 seconds on “why Americans think it is not worth the cost.”
45 seconds with Peter Garrett alp on Howard saying “sorry”.He was attending a reconciliation ceremony with indigenous people in Western Australia.Last night’s abc news -no mention or sbs of shocking race riots between Afro Caribeans and Pakistani in downtown Manchester with the British riot squad bearing the brunt. Riot caused by the alleged rape of an asylum seeker and a mosque being damaged.
(Buried on hateline the night before of course-up to their old tricks.)Last night abc news” Pacific nations gathered for the Pacific forum and ALREADY the locals are at odds with Howard”.Then red kerry on 7.30 and a Dr Mark Craig from Townsville UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY slags terror laws.
This morning Franny spent half an hour on Sister Rose -the lady who bravely refused to give up her seat on the bus and started off the civil rights movement in the U.S. deep South,followed by the rap song in her honour.Dem speaker of course.
- Those blind Iraqi dupes! Don’t they realize Tom DeLay has been indicted?Posted by richard mcenroe on 10/25 at 08:36 PM • permalink
- Good point there, Nemesis. The rules were set up to count the actual votes, but it is a national referendum. And it did “just squeak by” because (as Rajan points out in #6, and amortizer in #10), once Sunni province came somewhat close to rejecting it. Again, as per the rules set forth by the interim parliment.
But, I don’t think we’re overgilding the lily here. 63% voter turnout in a nation suffering daily terrorist attacks is an excellent turnout, not “pretty good” (see comment #1 for a suitable comparison).
Still, it’s important to remember the baseline. Let’s just not forget to give credit where credit is due.
Bottom line: Iraq is moving towards a stable democracy. They aren’t quite there as yet. It’s too bad that the terrorists just don’t get the message.
Posted by The_Real_JeffS on 10/26 at 01:59 AM • permalink
- What I would be interested in is how far back in history would we have to go to find an act of “simultaneous” in-genuine-fear-of their lives courage by literally millions of people. There have been mass acts of democracy, but events like the fall of the Berlin Wall, as courageous as it was, in my view did not have the same risk of mass lethal violence. Yet we are going to see it three times in just one year. We may not see it repeated for another 50 years ( Syria/Iran maybe?). It is absolutely remarkable and even more remarkable is how this apparently is NOT the most newsworthy story(ies) of the year.Posted by the nailgun on 10/26 at 03:07 AM • permalink
- Yep one of those provinces that was crucial in getting the constitution up had a vote of 55% against it.
People of Iraq we welcome you to the USA’s version of democracy.By the way did you see the yanks just cracked the big 2000 and counting
not long now till the “war on terror”(TM) kills more americans than 9/11 did.By the way did you know that a quarter of those killed have been national guard
Too bad they didn’t send the Guard to war when Bush was busy hiding in it.
- Don’t bother responding to this tedious bore. I’ve already banned him.Posted by Andrea Harris, Administrator on 10/26 at 07:31 AM • permalink
- You really are a sick puppy T-SAW. The vote was set up to allow any significant opposition to vote down the proposed constitution in much the same way that a proposed change to the constitution in Oz can be rejected more or less by any one state. 15 Million Iraqis braved the Jihadis to vote 78% in favour of the proposed constitution and you can still find a negative to focus on?
Get over it. Recognise that you have wasted most of your life believing in fairy tales. And re-invent yourself as a thinking person.
- Mr jic he say
It should be “war on terror™”, you moron. It’s not so hard to do; just write “& trade ;” without the gaps (and the quotes, just in case you’re too stupid to realize that).
so ahmina try that out.
Just testing™ like that?
Ach! It shows up wrong on the preview but shows up right in this here little box here in which I’m typing. Oh I dunno if I trust this…
Okay wait! On second test, it shows up right in both places. Thanx!Posted by Stoop Davy Dave on 10/27 at 03:31 PM • permalink
