Monday, October 17, 2005
Iraqi Constitutional Referendum A Success
Iraqi Elections Were Peaceful And Protected By Iraqi Soldiers:
Voter Turnout Increased From January Elections:
Iraqi Sentiments About Referendum:
U.S. Media Praises Referendum:
Iraqi Constitutional Referendum A Success
Iraqi Elections Were Peaceful And Protected By Iraqi Soldiers:
In Iraq, Saturday "Turned Out To Be The Most Peaceful [Day] In Months ..." (Lee Keath, "Sunni Arabs Turn Out In Big Numbers For Iraqi Vote On Constitution" The Associated Press, 10/16/05)
"nsurgency Violence Was Minimal Compared With The Last Poll [In January]." (Farnaz Fassihi, Philip Shishkin and Greg Jaffe, "Sunnis' Turnout Points To Role In Iraqi Politics," The Wall Street Journal, 10/17/05)
"Only One Of Baghdad's 1,200 Polling Stations Came Under Attack." (Farnaz Fassihi, Philip Shishkin and Greg Jaffe, "Sunnis' Turnout Points To Role In Iraqi Politics," The Wall Street Journal, 10/17/05)
"The Relatively Small Number Of Insurgent Attacks Compared With The Last Poll May Be A Sign Of How Sunni Involvement In Politics Can Complicate Matters For Insurgent Leaders Whose Aim Is To Destroy The Political Process." (Farnaz Fassihi, Philip Shishkin and Greg Jaffe, "Sunnis' Turnout Points To Role In Iraqi Politics," The Wall Street Journal, 10/17/05)
The Washington Times: "n Contrast To The January Election, Where Coalition Forces Did All Of The Security Planning, It Was The Iraqi Soldiers Who Were Responsible For All Of The Security On Saturday. Given How Well Things Went, That Is Positive News Indeed." (Editorial, "Positive News From Iraq," The Washington Times, 10/17/05)
Voter Turnout Increased From January Elections:
The Washington Times: "Iraqi Voter Turnout Increased From The 58 Percent Who Cast A Ballot In The Jan. 30 Elections For National And Provincial Parliaments To Between 60 And 63 Percent On Saturday." (Editorial, "Positive News From Iraq," The Washington Times, 10/17/05)
"Widespread Participation In Saturday's Voting By Sunnis - Who Had Largely Boycotted The Election Of An Interim Government In January - Was Taken As Evidence Of A Desire To Reject Insurgent Violence And Place Their Trust In The Political Process." (Sharon Behn, "Constitution Headed For Win In Iraq," The Washington Times, 10/17/05)
Secretary Of State Condoleezza Rice: "The Sunnis Are Now Invested In This Process ... There Is No Political Base Any Longer For This Insurgency." (Farnaz Fassihi, Philip Shishkin and Greg Jaffe, "Sunnis' Turnout Points To Role In Iraqi Politics," The Wall Street Journal, 10/17/05)
"Interviews With Election Supervisors In Several Predominantly Sunni Voting Districts In Diyala Suggested That Sunnis Turned Out In Large Numbers, And That Many Of Them Had Voted To Approve The Constitution." (Kirk Semple and Robert F. Worth, "Early Signs Show Iraqis' Approval Of Constitution," The New York Times, 10/17/05)
Iraqi Sentiments About Referendum:
"Abdul Hussein Ahmed, 63, Emerged From A Polling Station In The Southern City Of Najaf With His Purple Ink-Stained Finger Aloft. 'Five Members Of My Family Were Killed By Saddam And His People,' He Declared. 'But Now, With This Constitution, Everyone Is Equal Under The Law.'" ("On The Streets Of Iraq, Scenes Of Joy And Determination," The Washington Post, 10/16/05)
"Razifa Hussein Abdullah Arrived At The Polling Station With Tears In Her Eyes. Her Husband, Hussein Salim, 67, Who Appeared To Be In Poor Health, Leaned On Her For Balance As They Walked. They Had Returned Several Months Ago From Exile In Iran, Where They Had Fled During The Intense Scrutiny Of Shiites During The Iran-Iraq War In The 1980s." ("On The Streets Of Iraq, Scenes Of Joy And Determination," The Washington Post, 10/16/05)
"'We Suffered A Lot, And Today I Came To Get Revenge For All These Years I Stayed Away From My Country, To Feel That I Am Iraqi Again,' [Razifa Hussein Abdullah] Said. 'It Was A Dream To Get Rid Of Saddam, And Today Is Another Dream Come True.'" ("On The Streets Of Iraq, Scenes Of Joy And Determination," The Washington Post, 10/16/05)
"'When I Came Out Of The Polling Center, I Saw The Group Dancing. I Was Feeling Great, Having Voted "Yes," So I Joined In,' Said Ribwar Ali Murad, 25, A Kurdish Student At Mosul University. 'I Am Totally Overjoyed With This Day.'" ("On The Streets Of Iraq, Scenes Of Joy And Determination," The Washington Post, 10/16/05)
"Mother And Daughter Khawar Abdul Karim, 46, And Shokhan Raheem, 21, Emerged From The Polling Station Hand-In-Hand. 'In January, We Voted For The Status Of The New Iraq Government,' Said Raheem. 'Now, We Vote For The Constitution That Gives Us Our Rights As Iraqis.'" ("On The Streets Of Iraq, Scenes Of Joy And Determination," The Washington Post, 10/16/05)
The Washington Times: "Even Iraqis Who Voted Against The Constitution Acknowledged That Something Very Positive Was Taking Place. 'Just To Vote Against Was An Amazing Thing, And Very Important,' Hanna Edward, A Baghdad Resident Who Opposes The Constitution ..." (Editorial, "Positive News From Iraq," The Washington Times, 10/17/05)
"'Even If I Had To Crawl, I Would Come Here,' Said Mustafa Ahmed Yassin, 79, A Retired Construction Worker Who Was Leaning On His Cane." (Cyrille Cartier, "Kurds Vote With Dreams Of Independence," USA Today, 10/17/05)
U.S. Media Praises Referendum:
The New York Times: "What We Know Already, And Can't Fail To Be Impressed By, Is That Large Numbers Of Iraqis Of All Persuasions Turned Out, In Defiance Of Terrorist Threats, To Decide Their Constitutional Future. They Have Exercised A Basic Democratic Right That Would Have Been Inconceivable Just A Few Years Ago." (Editorial, "The Sovereign People Of Iraq," The New York Times, 10/17/05)
The Washington Times: "aturday's Vote On The Iraqi Constitution Must Be Considered A Step Forward: The Election ... Constitutes Yet Another Move Away From The Murderous Tyranny Of Saddam And Toward A Democratic Future In Which Shi'ites, Sunnis And Kurds Can Exercise Representative Self-Government." (Editorial, "Positive News From Iraq," The Washington Times, 10/17/05)
The New York Post: "So It Was In Iraq This Past Weekend, When Voters Stood Up To Potential Terrorist Violence In Astonishingly High Numbers, Apparently Approving A New Constitution Despite Strong Sunni Opposition To The Document." (Editorial, "The Iraqi Referendum," The New York Post, 10/17/05)
The New York Post: "[The Referendum Results] Vindicate U.S. Policy, And Are A Giant Step Toward Regional Peace." (Editorial, "The Iraqi Referendum," The New York Post, 10/17/05)