Jan 30, 2005 By Patty Yauger 5 min read

Area legislators admit it is unlikely today’s Iraqi elections will halt the insurgency that has escalated recently, but believe it is vital the country move toward becoming a democratic state and standing on its own. It is estimated that 14 million Iraqis will cast ballots at thousands of polling stations that will be guarded by Iraqi and coalition forces.

“The elections are a monumental event for generations of Iraqis because the government formed after these elections will give people across the country, especially the Iraqi troops, something to claim as their own,” said U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster. “It will be a government where people’s voices are heard rather than suppressed.”

The election will put in place a 275-member Transitional National Assembly (TNA) that will oversee the installation of a Presidency Council that will consist of a president and two vice-presidents, appoint a prime minister and selection of Cabinet ministers.

The panel will then draft a constitution that will be voted upon by Iraqis in October. Following the approval, a December election will be held to choose a constitutional-based Iraqi government.

Shuster, who was recently appointed to the House Armed Services Committee, said that briefings conducted by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and General John Abizaid of U.S. Central Command this week, indicate that insurgents will make attempts to thwart the process, but that free elections will be held.

“These insurgent rebels continue to use scare tactics and terrorism to stop people from voting, but they will shake neither America’s commitment nor the Iraqi’s determination for freedom,” said Shuster. “The insurgents will do anything to stop the progress in Iraq because they know it will be detrimental to their heinous cause. But in the end, the elections will be a landmark of freedom throughout the Middle East.”

Shuster targets Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi, who has close ties to al-Qaida, as leading the terrorist movement through Iraq.

“The elections will give the Iraqis a new tool to deal with these insurgents, a democratic government, something truly hated by Zarqawi because it verifies progress and establishes freedom,” he said.

U.S. Rep. John Murtha expects the insurgency to continue and believes the U.S. should enlist aid from other countries so that its forces can begin to return home.

“I don’t expect the election to quiet down the insurgency,” said Murtha. “The situation is so unstable that no one would be surprised by a civil war.

“We can’t win militarily, so we have to win politically.”

Despite the continued instability, Murtha said that U.S. forces must remain and train the Iraqi citizens to help themselves.

“We can’t abandon Iraq, but we have to train the Iraqis faster, let them take over and get out as fast as we can,” he said. “We have to get help from our allies. The cost in human life and in dollars is just too great for this country to bear much longer.”

West Virginia University political science assistant professor R. Scott Crichlow, said that while the elections will lend some legitimacy to the new government, they will not stop the violence.

“The elections are somewhat predictable at this point,” he said. “There will be more bombings, and the Sunnis are going to end up extremely underrepresented since the main Sunni party is boycotting (the elections).”

The election turnout, said Crichlow, will offer a glimpse of how Iraqis embrace exercising their vote amid turmoil.

“Turnout is one key matter to watch,” he said. “It could actually be really high in some areas, which I think most Americans would view as a good sign.

“Secondly, how does Prime Minister (Ayad) Allawi’s party do relative to the Islamic list? That will have important consequences.”

Whatever the outcome, Crichlow cautions against expecting an immediate end to the hostilities. “(The elections) will probably not do much to weaken the insurgency,” he said. “And the Sunni underrepresentation could mean you have a very unstable Iraq for some time to come since the people elected Sunday will write Iraq’s constitution.”

Shuster, meanwhile, said that free elections are critical to the country’s future and stability around the world.

“I realize how difficult it is to install democracy in a nation that has been shaken by a vicious dictator, but we are making progress and the elections Sunday will open a new chapter in Iraq,” he said. “I have met with Iraqi leaders who are steadfast in their support for freedom and whose beliefs are devoted to the democratic system.

“Throughout the country, Iraqis believe in this freedom and the progress there would not be possible without their resolve and commitment.

“America and Iraqi forces are fighting a worthwhile battle, and the elections on Sunday mean more than democracy to Iraq, they will increase stability in a hostile region and establish an identifiable, democratic government in the Middle East.”