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Thousands of Iraqis March to Demand Elections

Will the failure to hold free and fair elections lead to Civil war in Iraq?

  • Yes , they were promised, and there will be a violent power struggle

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • No , they are mature enough to grow their own democracy

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Who cares if they kill each other, as long as we are long gone.

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
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http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle....XTCCCRBAE0CFEY?type=worldNews&storyID=4169814

By Dean Yates
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Thousands of Shi'ite Muslims hit the streets of four Iraqi cities Tuesday, calling on the United States to hand over Saddam Hussein to be tried as a war criminal and demanding a bigger say in their political future.

The fresh rallies followed a march through Baghdad Monday by tens of thousands of people from the majority Shi'ite community demanding direct elections to decide who controls Iraq when the United States hands back power in June.

Many of Tuesday's protesters were supporters of Moqtada al-Sadr, a firebrand religious leader who has expressed support for Iraq's most revered Shi'ite cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

Sistani and his followers, long persecuted by Saddam, have proven a thorn for the United States by opposing its plans to let regional caucuses appoint a transitional authority to take power at the end of June, instead of letting all Iraqis vote.

"We demand elections or we will bury every American here," said one Shi'ite cleric, Sattar Jabbar.

In the southern Shi'ite city of Basra, several thousand protesters demanded Saddam be executed. "We want Saddam dead or alive. We demand Saddam's execution," they chanted.


Did anyone else see the Iraqi coalition glove puppet on News 24 last night?

Sorry my fellow countrymen, if you want elections , you can go whistle.You may have suffered under Saddam, while I, and the rest of the Sooty show spent it big in Selfridges , but tough titty Vickyana .We're holding referendums , where we will make sure all our mates get nominated for election.Why? Because we're in power now, we like it, we're staying.

(I paraphrase)

Oh well, all aboard the Civil War bus. :evil: Or is it going to be like Partition, 1947? 100,000 pissed off shi'ites at one end of the street , 100,000 pissed off sunnis at the other end of the street, and a British 2nd Lt and a few good men in the middle 8O
 
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