Well, the polls have closed in Iraq. As yet, I’m finding very little information on how it went. The usual suspects are mostly silent on the issue – unlike for the January election, the buzzmachines aren’t buzzing for this one. Fluffing this sad post which points to this other sad post is the best InstaGlenn could come up with.
This second post is from the warbloggers’ Favorite Iraqi Ever, Omar of Iraq the model:
Probably the worst thing today is the intense heat which was a little over 100f but that didn’t stop the crowds from walking in the sun to the voting stations, I personally had to walk nearly 4 miles in total but it’s definitely worth the effort.This guy lives in Baghdad and he had to walk four miles to vote? Instamonger calls Omar’s post, which has a whole 3 pictures showing an essentially deserted Baghdad “photoblogging the Iraqi vote.” M’kay.The presence of Iraqi army and police units is heavier than it was in January elections and I also noticed that no multinational forces were on the streets and the only sign for their presence was the helicopters that patrolled the skies.
Here’s an account from A Star from Mosul:
After about half an hour, and with the help of our neighbor who has already voted, we knew we can vote. Our turn came, mom went in with us, she voted for herself and dad (Who was waiting outside for his turn, but since mom had his ID card, she could vote for him).. They even gave us 3 voting cards, by mistake, but we returned the third.That’s a novel rule – if you have someone else’s ID you can vote for them. Cuts down on the crowds at the polls, I guess.
They all voted no. Star says, “Some people swear that the results will be YES even if we vote NO, but we did what we can..” Zeyad voted no.Mom then called dad and told him that he can come out. We all met outside the school, then went into the bus from which tens of people were coming down, and in which everyone seemed more relieved for finishing the job. When we got home, more neighbors were ready to come in.. Buses were a good idea!
Mu uncle’s family didn’t vote, they said the Imam told them it’s a responsibility to vote, and they should read the constitution first, but as most of the Iraqis in Mosul, they didn’t get a copy of it. In fact, I heard no one saying that they have! Other uncles, however, went out and voted.
A Citizen of Mosul wrote, (see comment thread)
Now in Mosul, it is 9:50 AM Saturday 10/15/2005.Dean Esmay has posted a “roundup” of “election posts from Iraqis and milbloggers stationed in Iraq.” How pathetic is that? Here’s another pathetic attempt to “Live-blog” the vote. This guy petered out in the wee hours of the night after blogging essentially nothing.
I just received a call from a neighbor telling me not to go to th proposed place for voting because some of the neighbor went there and found NOTHING. There was no place for voting. They called the telephone no. provided for more informations. The answer was “Wait an hour and call again, we will supply the boxes and the personale in Al-Salam hospital to make it the place of voting for your neighborhood.
Al-Salam hospital is too far from our neighborhood to be reached on feets, since no vehicles are allowed to move in the city strted from wedensday night till Monday 10/17/05 morning. in addition the biggest hospital in the city is occupied by the ING who changed it to a semi military base.I smell a strange odor!!
[…]
The people who went to vote, and found the center closed are directed to another near by center, it was opened, but the people their refuse to allow them to vote, they said they can vote only in the first center.
Later on a news come that the other center is also closed!!! why???? they said that the Peshmerga come and close those center!!!There were a crowd of people waiting to vote when about 10 police cars with the cheif of police paeesd and stopped to see what is the problem. The police cheif told the people that the peshmerga closed those center and they (the police) is going to open them later in the day.
At 12pm a police car with loud speaker announced that those centers are opened for votting.
I will go now to check and to vote if possible.
It is 12:43 pm now in Mosul
[…]
We (me and my wife) went to the votting center and vote. There were over crowd there, at least two strykers, two other American vehicles, and many Police cars there.
But we found our way in, and vote “NO”.
My impresson is that most of the people I met there, were goining to vote NO.
Well, there you have it – the super exciting update on the Iraqi constitutional referendum.