Overwhelming Support for Vote on Iraqi Constitution
Power Line
Haider Ajina sends us these poll results, which he has translated from today's edition of the Iraqi newspaper Alhayat:
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A poll taken by "The Iraqi center for national development & dialog", which is headed by former Planning minister Mahdi Alhafith. Reveals 88% of Iraqis polled said they will participate in the next vote (for the constitution) on the 15th of October. 5% said they will not vote 6% had not decided yet.
"Mr. Alhafith said to Alhayat newspaper: The poll included 3667 Iraqis, 53% men, the polls showed that 88% of those support holding the constitutional vote under current condition, while 10% were against for various reason. Some of the reasons were that Iraq is not a free country of its own sovereignty, the constitution will not meet their ambitions or that Iraq does not need democracy now and that the security situation will not allow the proper implementation of the constitution.
"As to how many polled support federalism, Alhafith said that 25% of those polled said they support federalism and consider it the preferred way to run the country. He added that 91% of those in favor of federalism were Kurds. While 58% prefer a central government with provincial administration. 17% refused to answer. Further, 45% want a central government, 23% prefer a union type government, 16% prefer a non central government and 13% refused to answer.
"As to the question of Islam being a main source of legislation. 42% support having Islam being the main source of legislation. 24% support having Islam be the only source of legislation. 13% support not having any law which conflicts with Islam. 14% support having Islam being only one of many sources of legislation, not the only one.
"As for women's rights and women's representation in the legislature. 84% support giving women full rights and benefits as men."
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The most salient point, I think, is that the vast majority of Iraqis agree that the negotiating and drafting process has played itself out, and it is time to vote.
The fact that some Sunnis have declined to sign on to the current draft has been played by the mainstream media as a defeat for the Bush administration and, somehow, an indictment of its policy in Iraq. Which causes me to wonder: if the United States were now to commission a group with representatives from all ideological, political, religious and ethnic groups to write a new constitution, do you think that they would achieve unanimity? Do you think that they would come anywhere near as close to consensus as the Iraqi negotiators did?
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