Iraqi Election Boycott

The parties include not just Sunni Islamist ones, but others like the National Arab Current, the Iraqi-Turkoman Front, the Democratic Christian Party and the communist People’s Union party, as well as Shi'a parties. They met under the auspices of the Iraqi National Founding Conference, a broad, nonsectarian front that includes Sunni, Shi'a, Arab, Kurd, Islamist, and secular parties within it, with points of unity as follows: opposition to the occupation and freedom of any association with either the crimes of the occupation or those of Saddam's regime.

This initiative was started by Sheikh Jawad al-Khalissi, a Shi'a cleric descended from one of the leaders of the 1920 revolt against the British; its initial conference was held last December. I have written about him and his efforts at greater length before.

I'm not sure an election boycott is wise; historically, they almost always backfire (as the anarchists in Spain found out to their regret). But they are clearly making the point that the destruction of Fallujah, which they termed an act of genocide in their statement, had nothing to do with the elections; in fact, it's decreasing participation, not increasing it.

More (with related links)
http://www.empirenotes.org/november04.html#18nov041