Iraq: The expatriate vote

The vote of the Iraqis of the Diaspora, living mainly in Western countries, in the 30 January elections was assumed to provide pro-Western parties with some votes that could possibly counterbalance their weakness inside Iraq. Iraqis in Western countries, it was thought, would be the most likely eligible voters to register and, if they did vote, their support would help the pro-Western Iraqi political parties with the most secular agendas.

The truth of the matter is that politicians like Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi may have better chances with the electorate inside Iraq than among those Iraqis living abroad, most of whom remember vividly the dirty cock-fighting of politicians like Allawi across Europe and North America. Sadly, the same polluted atmosphere continues, but in Baghdad. Close observers can immediately see that today's thuggish and crude politics in Iraq are the exclusive property of those politicians incubated in Western capitals. Along with the terrorists and religious fanatics, these politicians are responsible for the continuation of the misery in Iraq and for providing the pretext to extend the duration of its occupation.

It is no wonder then that, by the last day of voter registration, Iran witnessed more registered voters than the US and Britain combined. An embarrassing figure of one in nine expatriate Iraqis registering for voting -- in countries where there are no car bombs or Zarqawi ghosts -- is a sign of apathy. And this among the Iraqis most familiar with the practice of democracy -- those who understand well the importance of elections but also value their votes and feel the danger in casting a vote to a cluster of nameless and faceless candidates.

Democracy ought to be a transparent process. But Iraq is turning gradually to the politics of secrecy and the economics of cash transactions. The new Iraq is a state of veiled police, veiled politicians and veiled citizens. The only visible faces are those of terrorists and the faces of con artists in and out of the ranks of government. This is hardly going to inspire Iraqis to take the pilgrimage from their homes to remote registration centres. Instead of extending the registration period to accommodate the larger numbers inside Iraq, the extension was made to beg a few more eligible voters living abroad to minimise the size of another debacle.

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http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/727/re5.htm