Iraq's Election Reveals A Deeply Divided Country

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi in 2004. Chuck Kennedy / MCT

Allawi's Strength In Iraqi Election Shows Country Is Still Divided -- McClatchy News

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Secular Iraqi candidate Ayad Allawi has overcome extensive political maneuvering against him and emerged as the main challenger to incumbent Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki, whose State of Law coalition is tied with Allawi's Iraqiya alliance in a race that's too close to call.

With only a few thousand votes now separating the Allawi and Maliki coalitions, the election has shown that U.S. forces are preparing to withdraw from a deeply fragmented Iraq in which sectarian interests remain paramount. As Allawi's ticket has gained steam, Maliki and other rival Shiite Muslims have hinted that their followers would rise up rather than accept a winning bloc of newly emboldened Sunnis, secular Shiites and factions that they say are linked to Saddam Hussein's Baath Party.

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My Comment: Forget about Iraq, U.S. elections have also been deeply divided for the past few years. This is what democracy is all about .... and if Iraq wants to go down such a path they will have to accept such results.