Delays, delays, nothing but delays
17 Parties Demand Iraq Elections Postponed
Seventeen Iraqi Political Parties Demand Postponement of Elections Until Polling Places Secured
The Associated Press
Nov. 26, 2004 - Seventeen political parties on Friday demanded postponement of the Jan. 30 elections for at least six months until the government is capable of securing polling places.
The parties, mostly Sunni Arab, Kurdish and secular groups, made the call in a manifesto signed at the home of Sunni elder statesman Adnan Pachachi, who said he believed the government was waiting for such a request before seriously addressing the question of whether an election could be held by the end of January.
Parties of the majority Shiite community strongly support holding the elections on time but there is widespread doubt within the minority Sunni community because of insurgent unrest in Sunni regions of central and northern Iraq.
Sunni clerics from the Association of Muslim Scholars have called on Sunnis to boycott the election to protest this month's U.S.-led assault on the insurgent stronghold of Fallujah.
A widespread boycott by the Sunni community could deny the elected parliament and government the legitimacy that U.S. and Iraqi authorities believe is necessary to help bring stability to Iraq and curb the insurgency.
