Iraq Election
Iraq's December 15th vote for a Council of Representatives is one of the final steps in the nation's transitional political process.
On December 15, Iraqis will vote for a Council of Representatives. This will be one of the final steps in Iraq’s transitional political process. White House spokesman Scott McClellan says that more than three-hundred political entities are participating in the Iraqi election: "You have some seven-thousand candidates and some six-thousand polling stations that will be in place." What's important, says Mr. McClellan, is the growing Iraqi involvement in the democratic process: "The Iraqi people have shown time and time again that they are going to defy the terrorists, and those Saddam loyalists who want to return to the past, or those terrorists who want to deny them the right to live in freedom.... It's a good sign that you're seeing all these reports about more and more people engaging in the political process, and realizing the political process and democracy is the way forward to a brighter future." Many Sunnis boycotted Iraq's January election. This time, says Adnan al-Duleimy, head of the Consensus Front coalition, many more Sunnis are involved. He says, "If we can form a government that represents all the Iraqi sects, then we will have a just government with the ability and transparency to make fair policies, not for any one sect, but for all." "Democracy can be difficult and complicated and even chaotic," says President George W. Bush. "It can take years of hard work to build a healthy civil society. Iraqis have to overcome many challenges," he says. "But they're learning that democracy is the only way to build a just and peaceful society."