Democracy and resistance is the same
Free election in Iraq?
Last month occupied Iraq saw a major conflict over the plans of the US aggressors to at least partially hand over power to a puppet regime. This step to provide to US rule an Iraqi cover has been scheduled to take place by the mid of the year.
In massive demonstrations throughout January, however, significant parts of the Iraqi population contested the US designs following a statement by the supreme Shia cleric, al-Sistani, who called for free elections. And the pressure from below is rising despite the attempts of the clerics to calm down the popular anger.
The fact that the occupants reacted by spreading rumours of a postponement of their plans while decidedly refusing elections exposes their political weakness. On one hand they do not want to antagonize the Shia clerics who are for the time being their only pillar – as their "Governing Council" has lost any credit. The overt and covert co-operation of most of the clerics still keeps important sections of the Shia population away form actively joining the resistance. On the other hand the US are not ready to even grant elections as they fear that their direct puppets will be completely smashed. They have not trust in their main ally. This shows their strategic trouble to build a trustworthy and anchored puppet regime in due time.
Nevertheless, the demand for "free elections" shows not only the ambiguity of the clerics but also their continued ability to deceive the masses.
How one can speak of holding free elections under occupation? Such elections can never be free! Everything will happen by the mercy of the aggressors. We must not forget that the US are the unchallenged master of fake elections in their own country and throughout the world. Their corporate media apparatus will cover up any fraud and term any operation as "free elections" which brings their puppet into power regardless of their dictatorial record and the atrocities committed – remember the Peruvian butcher Fujimori to name only one. The only reason why they yet have not been performing their election theatre in Iraq is that they still do not have in place the necessary apparatus of henchmen.
The one and only way to democracy in Iraq is the complete withdrawal of all US and any other imperialist troops. This cannot be achieved by elections even if they are supervised by the UN. First the Iraqi resistance – in all its forms including the armed one – hand in hand with the international solidarity movement has to defeat and chase away the aggressors and liberate the country.
It must not be any foreign power – and not even the UN behind which the imperialist powers hide themselves – to impose the constitution of a new regime upon the Iraqi people. According to the inalienable right of self-determination it is exclusively upon the Iraqi people themselves to decide their fate.
Before any elections can be held a constituent assembly must take place in which the popular masses decide on the content and form of government they wish to install including the modus of election. The only force able to carry out such constituent assembly is the resistance based on the popular masses!
Democracy and resistance is the same, they are synonyms!