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White House: Iraq vote would defy insurgency

Posted on: Friday, 14 October 2005, 11:06 CDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Whether Iraqis vote for or against the new constitution, the act of casting a ballot will push democracy forward and defy the insurgency, the White House said on Friday.

"The Iraqi people time and time again defied the terrorists," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.

The White House sees the referendum on a new constitution as an historic milestone and evidence that political progress is being made since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003.

But the American public has become increasingly wary of U.S. involvement in Iraq, where 1,960 U.S. troops have died and another 15,063 have been wounded.

Polls this week showed fewer than 30 percent of Americans believed the country was on the right track amid violence in Iraq, high gas prices and growing budget deficits.

Insurgents mounted attacks leading up to the vote, including on one of Iraq's main Sunni Arab political parties after it called for a "Yes" vote in Saturday's referendum.

Most Sunni political groups oppose the constitution and called on Iraqis to either boycott or vote "No," arguing that the charter could divide Iraq and hand too much power to Shi'ites and Kurds.

"This is a historic moment in the history of Iraq. It is a hopeful moment for the entire region," McClellan said.

He said there were more than 6,000 polling places open and more than 15 million Iraqis registered to vote.

"Democracy is taking root and there is nothing the terrorists can do to stop the right and desire of the Iraqi people to live in freedom," he said.

Source: REUTERS

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