Confusion has surrounded turnout statistics in Iraq's election

[PennyMan]

with the Election Commission backtracking on a statement that 72 percent had voted, but leading politicians insisting the turnout was high.

Here Is The Link
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/B49A6A7B-9FE7-4C65-BA06-11461071FEAA.htm

[merwin]

1. Easy answer to this. They took the people who voted outside of Iraq

and mixed that in with the actual 40 or so % that probably actually voted in Iraq, and came up with 72%. That IS what the whole scheme of voting outside of Iraq was about. You didn't even have to be born there or ever live there to vote... Just need to be of Iraqi heritage.

[Jack Rabbit]

2. Whatever the percentage is, the question remains: that percent of what?

Is the whole all Iraqis who could vote under ideal conditions, or just those who live in places where there actually was voting? Does it include those four provinces where it was doubtful there would be voting, which in turn make up about half the population of Iraq?

It wouldn't be unlike the neoconservatives to play numbers games with this. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be unlike the US corporate media to give them a pass and not ask any questions that would give them the opportunity to tell us any more lies.

[toska]

3. 72% of registered voters?

Since the registrations were low and only a week ago, that would mean 28% of the people who considered voting didn't

[Jack Rabbit]

4. If that's what it is, I wouldn't consider that a big success

And that sounds like what it is.

It sounds more like the anti-colonial boycott was successful.