Allawi Group Slips Cash to Journalists who are Covering the Election...

[KoKo]

World / Asia-Pacific
Allawi group slips cash to journalists
By Steve Negus in Baghdad


The electoral group headed by Iyad Allawi, interim Iraqi prime minister, yesterday handed cash to journalists to try to ensure coverage of its press conferences, in a throwback to Ba'athist-era patronage ahead of parliamentary elections on January 30.

After a meeting held by Mr Allawi's campaign alliance in west Baghdad, reporters, most from the Arabic-language press, were invited upstairs where each was offered a "gift" of a $100 bill in an envelope.

Many of the journalists accepted the cash, equal to about half the starting monthly salary for a reporter at an Iraqi news-paper, and one jokingly recalled how the former regime of Saddam Hussein had also lavished perks on favoured reporters.

(snip)
In past weeks there have been signs that Mr Allawi's campaign is staging an unexpectedly strong challenge. According to the preliminary results of one survey in Shia majority areas, Mr Allawi's list was favoured by 22 per cent of respondents, compared with 27 per cent for the Alliance.

http://news.ft.com/cms/s/da6ad5c6-6376-11d9-bec2-00000e2511c8.html

[Turbineguy]

1. There's gotta be an easier way

to make a hundred bucks. Even in Iraq.

[Robbien]

2. And they were yelling about al Jazzera being biased

Just one more thing to throw on the outrage overload pile.

[Name removed]

6. Deleted message

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[KoKo]

8. hmmmm....I thought the purpose was to have "free" elections not "payola"

elections. If the only way Allawi can keep is job is to give bribes (probably with our tax dollars) it sort of defeats the purpose, doesn't it. :shrug: Whether Iraqi's are used to bribes or not or whether it's the "custom" or not...I thought the US was to be the "beacon" to them of free and fair elections.

Ha....I guess in truth they are following what the Repugs do in the US, anyway. Just we folks here didn't know it was going on until Bush vs. Gore..

[Casandra]

3. Further election shocker!

I'm too new to initiate post yet, so will reply to this thread.

Just heard on CNN that the Iraqi ballot will contain names of 280 people..and that NO ONE <beyond the internal government> knows who they are. In other words, the voters won't see who is running until they step into the voting cubicle. This would explain the lack of campaigning and the obvious 'lack' of legitimacy going on here. Actually this explains a lot of things...and you can't get this information just 'anywhere'. I only hope a lot of us were listening to Wolf Blitzer this morning. This fact certainly isn't being reported often...Now if this was 'Dan Rather' related, you'd hear a lot more..but this...nope!

[StephanieMarie]

5. They're not making the names public

for fear that the candidates will be assasignated before the election. I heard this too. Is this what "freedom and democracy" look like?

[Robbien]

7. Welcome to DU Casandra

I am surprised Wolfie mentioned the issue since he usually only reports things favorable to BushCo.

It will take hours for any Iraqi voting to just read the list of 280 names. They will probably be shot before they got halfway down the list.

Welcome again.

:hi:

[CottonBear]

4. Hey, it worked for Saddam. n/t