Iraqi demonstrators seek early elections

TENS of thousands of Shi’ite Muslims marched through Baghdad yesterday to demand early elections, as Iraq’s US governor asked the United Nations to back his political plans for Iraq.

Paul Bremer and members of the US-appointed Iraqi Governing Council met UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in New York to discuss a plan to hand power back to Iraqis by the end of June, before the American presidential election in November. The plan would put power in the hands of an appointed transitional government, while many Iraqis, especially majority Shi’ites, want direct elections now so they can choose who controls Iraq.

Washington, which defied UN allies in invading last year, hopes to persuade Annan to back its plan and help convince supporters of Iraq’s most revered Shi’ite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, that his call for elections is premature.

The Governing Council also hopes that the meetings in New York will convince the United Nations to come back to Iraq. Annan pulled international staff out of Iraq in October after bloody attacks on UN offices in Baghdad and has said it is still too dangerous for UN employees to return.

The talks come a day after a suicide car bomb at the gates of the US headquarters in Baghdad killed at least 25 people and injured more than 100.

Japanese soldiers entered Iraq yesterday, the vanguard of a mission marking a historic shift from Tokyo’s avoidance of conflict since World War II.

The deployment poses a political risk for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, whose government could be rocked if there are casualties. Under the American plan, regional caucuses will select a transitional assembly by the end of May and this will in turn pick an interim sovereign government by the end of June.

Full polls would follow after the writing of a constitution in 2005.

In Baghdad, a member of the Governing Council said insufficient security and the lack of electoral laws or voter registers made holding elections now impossible.

“At the moment it would be too hard to hold elections in Iraq,” Iyad Allawi said.

“This is why the Governing Council decided to take the path of co-operating with local councils who will appoint the representatives (in the transitional government).”

But many Shi’ites, who make up about 60% of Iraq’s population want elections sooner. Many thousands waved banners and shouted slogans in support of Sistani in Baghdad.

“All the people are with you, Sayyed Ali,” the crowd chanted.

“Just as there are elections in Europe and America there should be elections here,” said a demonstrator. “America says it is democratic and brings freedom to countries. Well then it should bring us elections.