Sunday, October 15, 2006

Analysis: Violence mars civilian participation in political process

Iraqi soldiers show purple fingers signifying their vote in last year's election.

Although a higher number of ordinary Iraqis went to the polls in Iraq's 2005 elections than its 2004 elections, it has not lead to the greater day-to-day involvement of citizens in building Iraq's democracy.

"We went to the polls and cast our votes under a deteriorated security situation with the expectation that as soon as the new government assumed its post, it was going to bring peace to Iraq," said Salah Haydar, 56, a shopkeeper in the capital, Baghdad.

"But the opposite happened - violence has increased and become worse. The new reconciliation plan has not shown success yet, and every day more ordinary Iraqis are dying from this violence," he added.

Read the rest at Reuters/Alternet