What’s next
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As the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq packed up Sunday from a news conference announcing the nation’s long-awaited election results, a loud boom rocked the building. The people who didn’t vote were being heard. Though the election was celebrated in parts of Iraq and was hailed as a victory by President Bush, the final returns underscored that Iraq is a nation divided and not automatically on the path to peace and stability. Shiite Muslims and Kurds, long brutalized by Saddam Hussein’s regime, will control Iraq’s government for the first time. Arab Sunni Muslims, who have dominated Iraq for most of its modern history, are now on the outside. “There is no winner” as far as Sunnis are concerned, said Mishan al-Jabouri, a Sunni political activist. Central questions arising from the vote: Will the lopsided results deepen ethnic divisions, or will the enthusiasm for democracy lead the major political powers to put aside long-simmering ethnic resentments in the interest of building a national government? “Iraq is bleeding, and we need everybody at this juncture to work for solidarity and unity,” said interim Finance Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi, a member of the winning Shiite coalition and a possible choice for prime minister. More : usatoday.com |