US embassy cable - 05ABUDHABI447

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 000447 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: IZ, KDEM, PREL, TC 
SUBJECT: IRAQI OCV PROGRAM RUNS SMOOTHLY IN THE UAE 
 
REF: A) ABU DHABI 388 B) ABU DHABI 305 C) ABU DHABI 
 
     35 D) 04 ABU DHABI 4714 
 
1. Summary: Counting ballots cast by UAE-based Iraqis who 
participated in elections began Monday in Abu Dhabi and 
Dubai.  International Organization for Migration (IOM) 
officials estimate it will take two to three days for 36 
staff members to tally votes and publish unofficial results. 
Poll officials gave no indication of when official election 
results would be available, stating only that they would be 
available &when Baghdad is ready.8  While registration and 
voting ran smoothly, there was both praise and criticism of 
the process.  Many criticized the separation of registration 
and voting dates as having suppressed their participation. 
Many who chose to vote called the election a milestone, and 
an effective first step toward peace.  End summary. 
 
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A FEW CRITICISMS OF THE ELECTORAL PROCESS 
----------------------------------------- 
 
2. Although the overall mood at the polling centers was 
festive and emotional, the most prominent resident crony of 
the former Iraqi regime called the election a &farce.8  Dr. 
Mohammad Al Douri, former Ambassador of Iraq to the UN, told 
a Gulf News reporter, &All Iraqis believe in democracy.  But 
how can we talk about free elections under occupation?  Any 
result will be like an illegitimate child.8  He also 
criticized the fact that voters had to vote for parties, not 
individuals, and that the lists were drawn along sectarian 
lines, discouraging pluralism.  He opined, &The only winners 
will be the Americans and their puppet government, and this 
will lead to the fragmentation of Iraq.8  Gulf News also 
reported one instance of a voter who stormed out of a polling 
center without casting his ballot, angry because poll 
organizers asked him to indicate whether he was Sunni or 
Shi,a. 
 
3. The IOM continued to take criticism for separating the 
registration and voting processes, which some people said 
prevented thousands of otherwise-eligible Iraqis from 
participating.  One newspaper reported that about 100 people, 
many who traveled to the UAE from Oman and other Gulf 
countries, claimed they were unaware that they could not 
register and vote on the same day, and were turned away at 
the polling station.  Another observer was quoted as saying 
that around 8,000 Iraqis in Kuwait and 3,000 Iraqis in Qatar 
could not afford to come to the UAE twice, and therefore were 
not able to participate in the elections.  Local organizers, 
including the head of the Abu Dhabi-based Iraqi 
Businessmen,s Council, seconded this complaint, saying that 
this system had disenfranchised thousands of Iraqis 
throughout the Gulf (ref. A). 
----------------------- 
VOTING IS A &MILESTONE8 
----------------------- 
 
4. Despite these criticisms, many of those who chose to vote 
were thrilled to have the opportunity to finally have a say 
in their country,s government.  One voter, who accompanied 
his son to the polls, said that, while he was happy to vote, 
he understood the arguments of those who chose not to vote. 
&They say that the country is under occupation, so voting 
cannot have legitimacy.  Without occupation, there would be 
legitimacy.  But I think these people miss the point of the 
elections.8  Many families brought children under the legal 
voting age to the polls to celebrate the occasion and teach 
them about the electoral process.  One Dubai-based voter from 
Baghdad told a Gulf News reporter, &We are reborn.  It is a 
celebration, a wedding day for Iraq.8  He said it did not 
matter who he voted for, because all candidates would make a 
constitution that would respect all Iraqis.  An elderly woman 
in a wheelchair said, &I would have crawled to vote for my 
Iraq.8  A 60-year-old Iraqi economist told a reporter that 
the last elections in Iraq were held when he was 10.  &It,s 
my first time to vote.  Most Iraqis I know are also voting 
for the first time,8 he said.  Another participant was 
quoted in Khaleej Times, referencing the ink stain marking 
him as a voter, as saying, &When I look at the ink on my 
finger, I see it as a mark of freedom.8  A young woman who 
voted with her friends told the same reporter, &I hope every 
Arab becomes familiar with this feeling of elation, after 
being able to vote.8 
 
------------------------ 
MEDIA COVERAGE OF EVENTS 
------------------------ 
 
5. Both English and Arabic language media outlets followed 
the registration and elections closely and printed updates 
daily.  Reporters included both praise and criticism in most 
reports, and explained the voting process in detail.  One 
Arabic language newspaper, Al Bayan, reported the story of 
one Israeli who was allowed to vote in Amman, since his 
grandfather was an Iraqi.  The same paper also published a 
photo of an Iraqi in the U.S. who, along with a friend, 
kissed an American flag after they voted. 
 
6. Baghdad minimize considered. 
SISON