Syria eyes Iraq poll with interest

By Kim Ghattas
BBC News, Damascus

Fewer than 10% of the expected number of Iraqis in Syria are voting

The walls of almost every building in Sayyeda Zaynab, a suburb of Damascus, are plastered with posters of Iraqi candidates.

Everywhere, banners are hanging with slogans like "Vote for a united Iraq".

It is easy to forget this is Syria.

But Sayyeda Zaynab is home to hundreds of Iraqis, mostly Shias who settled here after fleeing oppression under Saddam Hussein.

All week, cars equipped with

loudspeakers have been driving through the streets of the suburb, playing a message calling on Iraqis to register for the vote.

Not many have answered the call. When polls opened on Friday, only about 17,000 out of an estimated 200,000 Iraqis were voting.

Registration by Iraqi expatriates has been low in all 14 countries where polls have been organised for them.

We used to see this on television happening in other countries, now we're living it ourselves and it feels good Voter Iman Jaber

But during the registration this week in Sayyeda Zaynab, polling staff, all of them Iraqi volunteers, remained enthusiastic.

They patiently explained to fellow Iraqis how to sign up and what to do next.

Everybody is given a list of all the political blocs that are running; there are more than 100 lists and some voters look confused.

"It's a great day, after 30 years to have all this choice," said Iman Jaber, who was accompanied by her husband. Both plan to vote.

"We used to see this on television happening in other countries, now we're living it ourselves and it feels good. Other countries in the region should learn from this and they should help us make this election successful."

Syria insists it supports elections in neighbouring Iraq

The US has repeatedly accused Syria of doing just the opposite. Washington believes Damascus is supporting the insurgency next door and trying to scuttle American plans to bring democracy to Iraq.

Officials here deny the accusations and say chaos in Iraq is not to Syria's advantage.

"All countries in the region agree that Iraq needs to recover its sovereignty and independence, and any election that helps Iraq achieve this is a positive step," said Mehdi Dakhlallah, the Minister of Information.

"We in Syria have done everything to help Iraqis as they vote outside their country."

Knock-on effect

Still, authorities here are watching the Iraqi elections somewhat warily.

The Iraqi Baath party may be gone but the Syrian Baath party is still very much in power, and it has reason to feel threatened by the multi-party elections that Iraq will witness this weekend.

Having elections in Iraq and Palestine is only going to make us more adamant in our demands Ammar Abdulhamid Syrian analyst

Many Arab governments are bracing for the Iraqi elections and the impact its results could have on the region.

Some countries like Saudi Arabia fear the rise of a Shia state in Iraq.

Syria is worried about what will happen after the elections, as Washington continues with its experiment to spread democracy in the Arab world.

Despite the violence and the Sunni boycott, many Arabs feel that the Iraqi vote will be more democratic than anything they have ever seen themselves.

"The toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime has had a grass roots effect in the region, the status was shaken, a symbol of tyranny was removed, so a lot of people were looking around asking: 'Why can't this happen to us, why can't a free election take place in our part of the world and a fairer political system be established in our country, without a US invasion and in a peaceful manner and democratic manner?'," said Ammar Abdulhamid, a Syrian analyst.

"So having elections in Iraq and also now in Palestine is only going to make us more adamant in our demands."

ELECTION SCHEDULE Friday: Expatriate voting begins; overnight curfews in Iraq Saturday: Borders and airport closed for three days Sunday: Election day, cars banned from roads Next week: Vote counting for 4 or 5 days 20 Feb or earlier: Result certified Two weeks later: PM appointed Four weeks later: Government formed

Demands are not yet being expressed loudly by ordinary Syrians.

In cafes everywhere, life goes on peacefully, people play backgammon and smoke water pipes. But everybody is talking about the Iraqi elections.

"Elections in Iraq are a great development, after all these years, it's a very good thing," said Hiyam, a Syrian university student who is having tea with her Kurdish Iraqi friend in the Havana cafe in central Damascus.

She says Syria also has multi-party elections, referring to the groups that operate under the umbrella of the Baath party.

"But perhaps things could be even better here, step by step," she adds with some hesitation.

A lot of Syrians are also very sceptical about the elections.

They want to see the results first, but mostly they want to watch what happens after the elections before they decide whether it is a positive development, not only for Iraq but also for Syria.