Iraqis Denounce Iraqi Election As a Sham, several hundred thousand protest

By SINAN SALAHEDDIN, Associated Press Writer Fri Dec 23, 2:46 PM ET

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Protesters gathered across the country Friday to denounce parliamentary elections that demonstrators called rigged in favor of the main religious Shiite coalition.

In Baghdad, unknown assailants kidnapped a Sudanese diplomat and five other men as they left prayers at a mosque, a spokesman for Sudan's Foreign Ministry said. An Iraqi Foreign Ministry official said he had not heard of the abduction.

As many as 20,000 people demonstrated after noon prayers in southern Baghdad Friday in a protest organized by Sunni Arab groups and attended by representatives of secular Shia parties.

Many Iraqis outside the religious Shiite coalition allege that the elections were unfair to smaller Sunni Arab and secular Shiite groups. "We refuse the cheating and forgery in the elections," read one banner among many decrying the elections.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051223/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_051223191457



Demonstrators gather to listen to speeches of political leaders in Baghdad, Iraq, Friday Dec. 23, 2005, as several hundred thousand people rallied after noon prayers, with many carrying banners denouncing last week's elections. Large demonstrations broke out across the country Friday to protest what many say were unfair parliamentary elections. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)

:eyes:

for amassing their protest of election fraud and taking it to the street instead of how we handle voter fraud in Florida, in Ohio, and God knows in what other state by bitchin' and moanin' about it on the internet.

the Ukrainians are very unhappy with their new president.

This kind of stuff should make their blood run cold. The Bush administration has probably taken its vote-rigging tricks to Iraq. Well, it might not work as smoothly as it has here.

Other countries don't take to well to that kind of crap. If RumsFailed pushes these people too far, he might just have a revolution on his hands. They'd better be DAMN careful not to inflame the situation.

One word from Grand Ayatollah Al-Sistani or Muqtada Al-Sadr, and the Americans are finished. I'm absolutely serious about that.

We're in a country of 22 million. US troops are 160,000. That's nowhere close to being able to contain the Iraqis. Stupid Bush people.