UN Calls Iraq Elections Credible

Thanks for the vote of confidence. Let's just say that I couldn't care whether the UN called the elections credible or not. They had no problem finding the Venezuelan elections credible even though there was widespread corruption and fraud. There are ongoing demonstrations by some Sunni groups that think the elections were fraudulent:

The Shiite bloc held talks with Kurdish leaders about who should get the top 12 government jobs, as thousands of Sunni Arabs and secular Shiites protested what they say was a tainted vote.

Two Sunni Arab groups and former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi’s Iraqi National List have threatened a wave of protests and civil disobedience if fraud charges are not properly investigated.

In another of continuing political demonstrations across the country, more than 4,000 people rallied Wednesday in Samarra, 60 miles north of Baghdad, in favor of the major Sunni Arab party, the Iraqi Accordance Front. Demonstrators carried banners say “We refuse the election forgery.”

It's important to note that these people are demonstrating in protest marches - not taking up arms and blowing stuff up. That's a significant step. Hopefully the Iraqis will take steps to reassure the Sunnis that are protesting that the elections were not fraudulent, but I think that there are going to be problems from these Sunni groups for years to come if the American experience is anything to go by. After all, there are some who think that President Bush was fraudulently elected in 2000 and 2004. For some folks, there's no amount of proof that will suffice.

Omar at Iraq the Model does more reporting on the situation in Iraq than MSNBC. Iraq the Model should be on your daily reading list if you want to keep up to date on events in Iraq. Omar had earlier reported the following:

The election commission announced the results of voting that took place in military bases and 15 countries outside Iraq. The four major lists scored the following numbers:

Kurdish alliance: 176,361 (36.56%)

United Iraqi Alliance: 146,191 (30.28%)

Iraqi list (Allawi): 53,576 (10.11%)

Iraqi Accord Front: 23,409 (4.85%)