Word: parliament
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...tribal leaders will do the same for a "no" vote, but it's unclear what the result will be. Under the terms of the Transitional Administrative Law, if two thirds of the voters in any three provinces vote "no," the charter is rejected, meaning that elections for a new parliament must be held and the process starts all over again. The Sunnis have majorities in four provinces, but in only two provinces are those majorities large enough to scuttle the constitution. Despite massive voter registration drives on the part of the Sunnis, to get the numbers needed, they will have...
...While the failure of the constitution in October would be an embarrassment for the United States' efforts here, it would be a blessing for Iraqis. The Sunnis could point to a political victory and then prepare for elections that would see them increase their representation in a future parliament. This would dilute the power of the religious Shi'ite parties, who the Sunnis view as cat's-paws Iran. But if the Sunnis feel they've taken part in a political process and elections - at great risk to their own lives - and still lose to the Shi'ites, there...
...election is a farce designed to maintain Mubarak in office with the pretense of a democratic vote, some of Mubarak's staunchest opponents lept at the chance to push the margin of freedom as far as they could. Among them is Ayman Nour, a 41-year-old member of parliament and former journalist who is Mubarak's most outspoken critic and who promises to supervise the adoption of a new democratic Egyptian constitution and then call for new elections within two years. Security forces jailed Nour for 44 days earlier this year on what his supporters and human rights activists...
...actually hold a free and fair election, candidates like Nour point out how the system is stacked against them. Mubarak's National Democratic Party machine ensured that government patronage workers get to the polls, while the state-controlled media has heavily favored the incumbent's campaign. The Mubarak-controlled parliament only amended the constitution four months ago, giving opposition parties, weakened by decades of one-party rule, little time to attract and mobilize supporters. Even if they had more time, Mubarak refused to allow any new voters to register, effectively shutting out millions of Egyptians who had become interested...
...fall of Saddam in 2003 and the Cedar Revolution against Syrian domination of Lebanon this year, as a further crumbling of the edifice that has guarded authoritarian regimes in the Arab world for half a century. They hope that Egyptian elections in November will produce a more representative parliament, and that voters will have a real choice in the next presidential contest, in 2011. After surveying the overflow crowd of 5,000 people at a rally in the northern city of El Mahla El Kobra, Maram Mazen, 19, a law student volunteering with the Nour campaign, was left brimming with...