UN Concludes 8 Months Needed For Iraq Elections

The Voice of America reports that the United Nations concludes that it will take at least eight months, and probably longer, to organize elections in Iraq:

The report to the Security Council from Secretary General Kofi Annan suggests next December or January may be the earliest date a vote can be scheduled.

[. . .]

The report's chief author, Carina Perelli of the U.N. Electoral Assistance Division, says it will take about eight months to set up an election. But the eight-month countdown can begin only after a series of conditions have been met.

In addition to the obvious security considerations, Ms. Perelli said Iraq's political players must agree on a set of rules that will make the outcome credible.

[. . .]

Ms. Perelli said whatever mechanism is established for holding elections, it must demonstrate a complete break with Iraq's past. Otherwise, she said it would have no credibility with ordinary Iraqis.

The U.N report is available here.