Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Iraqi referendum rules: "Never mind"
Rarely do I agree with the editorial page of the New York Times, but I cheered when it complained this morning that Iraq's dominant Shiites and Kurds were "patently absurd" in their attempt to fix the result of the October 15 referendum on the proposed constitution. The United Nations declared the change in the law (relating to the calculation of the percentage of votes necessary to block the constitution) in violation of "international electoral standards," whatever they may be, and American officials twisted arms publicly and, presumably, behind the scenes.
Thankfully, the government of Iraq has caved and the referendum will proceed on the original basis.
This is good news.
Via Instapundit.
Thankfully, the government of Iraq has caved and the referendum will proceed on the original basis.
Members of Iraq's National Assembly have been wrangling over the voting procedures for the referendum for several weeks. After a brief debate Wednesday, the Assembly voted 119-to-28 to restore the original rules, which means that Sunnis can veto the constitution by getting a two-thirds "no" vote in three provinces, even if the charter wins majority approval nationwide.
On Sunday, the Shi’ite-dominated parliament changed the rules, saying it should be two-thirds of all registered voters in three provinces. Since many Sunnis did not register to vote, the change would have virtually guaranteed approval of the constitution.
The revision drew criticism from Sunni lawmakers. U.S. and United Nations officials began pressing Iraqi legislators behind the scenes to restore the original voting rules, fearing a Sunni boycott that would undermine the vote's credibility.
This is good news.
Via Instapundit.
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