Iraq Electoral Commission backtracks on turnout (60% from 72%) - 44 dead

[expatriot]

BAGHDAD, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Iraq's Electoral Commission backtracked on earlier estimates of voter turnout in the election, saying a previous figure of 72 percent "was just an estimate" and indicated the actual figure was lower.

At a news conference, commission spokesman Farid Ayar called the 72 percent figure a "guess" and said maybe up to 8 million Iraqis voted, which would be a little over 60 percent of registered voters.

"Percentages and numbers come only after counting and will be announced when it's over ... It's too soon to say that those were the official numbers," he said. "The numbers are only guessing."

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/MAR055907.htm

ABC REPORTS 44 DEAD

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=455514&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

[Inland]

1. By coincidence, corrections come after all the sunday morning shows

where the MSM kept stating the huge number without any attribution or qualifiers.

[Clark2008]

3. Well, of course

I worked for a newspaper once that always put the correcton on the page in which the original article was found, including the front page.
Don't you wish all media was like that?

[katinmn]

4. such as how many were expats voting safely in the US, Britain,

and many other countries.

[struggle4progress]

2. 43% of Iraqis vote amid violence

BAGHDAD, IRAQ -- (OfficialWire) -- 01/30/05 -- According to official figures some 15 million of Iraq's 25 million citizens registered to vote. Polls have now closed in what is being called 'Iraq's first free election in a half century', with the election commission claiming as high as a 72 per cent turnout of 'registered voters' throughout the country despite attacks and threats of violence.

If these figures hold, approximately 43 per cent of the country's citizens will have voted. <snip>

http://www.baou.com/newswire/main.php?action=recent&rid=20020

If the 60% turnout is right, only about 36% of Iraqis have voted. Probably the real number is even lower ...

[stray cat]

5. It does put it in a different perspective doesn't it.

Hopefully some media will start getting it right. Olbermann or the daily show maybe.

[struggle4progress]

6. The 60% figure is more in linewith recent polling info:

IRAQ: Low Sunni Turnout Forecast In Iraq

<snip> Sunnis amount to roughly 20 per cent of the population and Kurds make up another 20 per cent, while Shiites account for 60 per cent of all Iraqis. <snip>

Will you vote in the Jan. 30 election?
(Percentage saying "Likely" or "Definitely")

Shiite 80%
Kurd 57%
Sunni 9%
<snip>

Source: Zogby International / Abu Dhabi TV
Methodology: Interviews to 805 Iraqi adults, conducted from Jan. 19 to Jan. 23, 2005. Margin of error is 3.6 per cent.

http://www.noticias.info/asp/aspComunicados.asp?nid=46544&src=0

[Earth_First]

7. Do these figures include...

The American-Iraqis that also vote? Or just in-country Iraqis?

[gizmo1979]

8. saw a report from anbar PROV. at about 10

and out of 6 pollihg places only 37 people had voted.All from Iraq security personel.

[bush_is_wacko]

9. What an effective voter suppression this is (ABC article)

Do you suppose this might be bush's 2006 plan for America. A little "stratigorically" (attempt at bushism) placed militants might be really effective...

:eyes:

[LynnTheDem]

10. "It's too soon to say" but we WILL go ahead and SAY 72%...then SAY 60%

But really, it's TOO SOON TO SAY.

rotflmao!

Crack me up. What bullshit. And troops & Iraqis continue to die for it.