Electoral logistics

---

Elections are credible only if the vote occurs against a backdrop of calm and if the entire nation takes part. Which is hardly reassuring for Iraq that, since Baghdad fell on 9 April 2003, has been a country torn by violence.

Since elections were scheduled for January 2005 over a hundred political parties have appeared on the scene. Most were hitherto unknown and it is difficult to see how any could achieve a decisive victory. In all likelihood the vote will split along sectarian lines, particularly so in the case of the Shias. Shia clerics loudly insist that the elections be held on time. They have named their candidates and are happy to pin their future on the outcome.

The logistics are a nightmare. The country has no voter lists. The UN oil-for-food lists, compiled under Saddam Hussein, do not offer a reliable alternative. They exclude those who have returned from abroad, and include those killed since the invasion. Following the invasion the bulk of official documents were destroyed, including ID and passport files. Nor is the climate conducive to voting in a host of Iraq's cities, particularly those with a Sunni majority. Falluja, Ramadi, Samara, Baquba and a large part of Mosul are in ruins. People have fled their homes. Government offices have been destroyed. People going to a public rally or even the polls would often be risking their lives. Elections are unimaginable under such circumstances.

A serious dialogue among Iraqis is urgently needed. National reconciliation is the only way the crisis can be contained. At the Sharm El-Sheikh conference, held last week, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa urged the Iraqis to get together and talk. No one, Moussa said, should be excluded from the dialogue.

Iraq needs a constitution, reconstruction, transparency and good relations with its neighbours. National reconciliation must come first, then elections.