Clerics Use Friday Prayers to Urge Big Iraqi Vote

FALLUJA, Iraq (Reuters) -- From the pulpits of mosques across Iraq at Friday prayers, clerics urged worshippers to cast their votes in next week's election, setting up a mass turnout in a ballot that has polarised the nation on sectarian lines.

In Falluja, renowned "City of Mosques" and former seat of revolt against U.S. occupation, Sunni Muslim spiritual leaders made clear there would be no repeat of the boycott of January's election which left their minority marginalised.

But 11 months on, Sunni leaders are urging their supporters to vote in force to allow their once dominant community to punch at its full weight in the new 275-seat parliament. "You must not vote for your tribal leaders or preachers, whom you very well know," Sheikh Athaab said. "You should vote for lists which consist of people from various sects -- Shi'ites, Sunnis, Kurds and Christians."

That seemed like a veiled pledge of support for former prime minister Iyad Allawi, a secular Shi'ite whose cross-sectarian coalition is posing a threat to the Shi'ite Islamist-dominated government -- remarkable considering Allawi oversaw the assault on Falluja, but in line with support he has won from Sunnis for his tough line on violence, especially pro-government militias.

http://www.aina.org/news/2005129115741.htm
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To show you how funny politics is Allawi was treated like a hero when he went on a campaign stop to Fallujah a few weeks ago. They want him to win badly even though he ordered the destruction of their city a year ago, because they fear the UIA much more and overall they like Allawi's policies.

However, Allawi (a secular Shia) goes to Najaf a Shia city and gets run out town by an armed mob of Mahdi.

comes from the same budget that paid the planted newspaper stories?

The choice is quite clear. Eather Allawi is PM and Baathists are brought back into the government and the military and the Shia militas are disbanded or the pro-Iranian parties win and they continue to butcher Sunnis with their militias and they kick out Sunnis from the government and the military.

This is pure politics.

Why should the average Iraqi, given the chance to vote, be any different?