2/2/2005 9:10:00 PM GMT
Iraq's Sunni Muslim leaders have branded the next Iraqi government “illegitimate”, as a large number of Sunni Iraqis did not vote in the country's elections on Sunday.
The elections "lacks legitimacy because a large portion of these people who represent many spectra have boycotted it," the Association of Muslim Scholars said in its statement, adding that the new government lacked a mandate to draft a new constitution and should be considered a temporary administration.
"We make it clear to the United Nations and the international community that they should not get involved in granting this election legitimacy because such a move will open the gates of evil," the statement said.
"We are going to respect the choice of those who voted and we will consider the new government — if all the parties participating in the political process agree on it — as a transitional government with limited powers."
Yesterday, an Iraqi Sunni tribal leader went to the Arab League in Egypt, complaining that the election was illegitimate as it was carried out under military occupation. Sunni leaders have previously called on the Iraqi people to boycott the elections because of the U.S. occupation.
Because of the troop presence, the National Assembly that will be formed after the elections will not be able to lawfully draft a constitution, Secretary-general of the Council of Iraqi tribes, Raad al-Hamadani, said.
Also Tuesday, the Iraqi interim President Ghazi al-Yawer admitted that tens of thousands of Iraqis, notably in restive Sunni Arab areas, couldn’t vote in Sunday’s election because some polling places ran out of ballots.
Although he was a strong critic of some aspects of the U.S. military's performance in Iraq, Al-Yawer, a Sunni Arab with a large tribal following, said he wants the U.S.-led occupation forces to stay for more time in the country, despite the fact that a new government will be formed after announcing the vote results.
Violence continued Tuesday in several areas across the country, but authorities said security restrictions were eased by reopening the country borders and allowing commercial flights to take off from Baghdad International Airport for the first time after it was closed during the elections.
In a news conference, Al-Yawer said that "tens of thousands were unable to cast their votes because of the lack of ballots in Basra, Baghdad and Najaf".
On the other hand, elections officials said that irregularities kept people away specially in the volatile northern and heavily Sunni city of Mosul.
Due to security worries in Sunni areas some polling stations did not open at all and ballots at the rest of the centers were too few, they said.
"The elections took place under difficult conditions and this undoubtedly deprived a number of citizens in a number of areas from voting," said Abdul-Hussein al-Hendawi, who heads the Iraqi electoral commission.
Election officials compiled vote results and said they eased security lockdown for the multi- party vote.
The vote’s final results, to be announced next week, are widely expected to give more authority and power to Iraq's Shiite majority.
Nearly 200 clerks were working around the clock to log the results at a bank of 80 computers.
Polling stations worked through the night to finish ballot count by oil lamp at one Najaf site after electricity went off.
According to electoral officials, about eight million Iraqis cast their ballots in the country’s election that was held on Sunday, nearly 60 percent of those registered, with a low turnout in many Sunni strongholds.
An Iraqi Shiite leader claiming victory called on all Iraqi political factions on Tuesday including Sunni Arabs, to unite and help shape Iraq’s future.
"The United Iraqi Alliance scored a sweeping victory. We know that the majority of those who voted cast their vote for the alliance," Abdul Aziz al-Hakim told reporters on Tuesday.
Hakim is on top of a the candidate list of the Alliance, drawn up with the blessing of the Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.
While a lot of Iraqis in Shiite areas and the Kurdish north participated in Sunday elections, there was a low turnout in the Sunni stronghold areas, which raises concerns of dangerous sectarian rifts in Iraq.
Violence continued in the Iraqi capital on Tuesday, with seven people killed in three roadside bombings north of Baghdad.
Also Tuesday, a roadside bomb blast killed two in the Kurdish city of Arbil. Asked whether the presence of foreign troops might spark the country's resistance and lead to more rebel attacks, al-Yawer said: "It's only complete nonsense to ask the troops to leave in this chaos and this vacuum of power," al-Yawer said, adding that the troops would leave when Iraq's security forces are ready to handle the responsibility.
"At the end of this year, we will witness the beginning of the decrease of forces and not their withdrawal," al-Yawer said.
Analysts say that the Sunnis participation is a key issue in the Iraqi elections, as they fear further political alienation could spark Sunni rebellion in the country.