Syrians Riot Over Rigged Elections
Bashar Assad has some riots on his hands after an attempt to hold a rigged election in Syria. He had to bring in the army to put down protests in the north, and apparently the army fired live rounds into the crowds:
Violent protests broke out in northern Syria amid accusations of vote rigging following Sunday's parliamentary elections.Five protesters were left seriously injured, including three men who suffered gunshot wounds and remain in hospital, after the army was brought in to quash the demonstrations. There are unconfirmed reports that two people were killed.
Anti-riot police and security forces were called to the main road linking the north-eastern cities of Raqqah and Deir Ezour on Tuesday afternoon, where 700 tribesmen staged a sit-in and destroyed nearby poll centres.
Protesting later spread to the centre of Raqqah when a further 3,000 people gathered near the Governor's home. Six people were injured and a temporary curfew was imposed on the city.
What prompted the riots? It turns out that the tribesmen of the region had the audacity to elect non-Ba'athists to local offices. That was enough for Syria's government to throw out the results from 21 precincts after the polls closed. That action caused the thousands of Syrians to march openly against their dictatorship, a breathtaking development for a society that lost thousands of dissenters at the hands of Assad's father.
Even more interesting, the region in which this took place seems near the footprint of Syrian Kurdistan. Raqqah and Deir Ezour sit on the Euphrates; north of that, the Kurds populate the region. The Kurds in the region have reacted to the liberation of their Iraqi cousins with the hope of freedom for themselves. The election of independent candidates in that area, and the protests that followed, may have been an indicator that the Syrian Kurds will assert themselves more in the near future, although it should be noted that Kurds make up a lesser percentage of the population in Syria than they do in Iraq.
Rigged elections spelled the end of oppressive and/or corrupt regimes before, notably Ukraine. Whetting peoples' appetite for self-determination and then stealing it from them is an inherently destabilizing act. Assad may yet pay the ultimate price for his tease.
Posted by Ed Morrissey on April 26, 2007 4:56 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)
Comments (5)
Posted by docjim505![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/nav-commenters.gif)
| April 26, 2007 5:32 AM
Maybe SanFran Nan (or shall we call her No Show Nancy?) should go back over there and tell him, "No, no, NO! While we respect your ethnic, religious and national customs and regard you as an honest partner in the war against Bush... er, that is, the Mid-East Peace Process(TM), we don't think you ought to be shooting at your own people and letting the media find out about it."
What prompted the riots? It turns out that the tribesmen of the region had the audacity to elect non-Ba'athists to local offices. That was enough for Syria's government to throw out the results from 21 precincts after the polls closed. That action caused the thousands of Syrians to march openly against their dictatorship, a breathtaking development for a society that lost thousands of dissenters at the hands of Assad's father.
Lies. Everybody knows that Arabs do not want democracy. It's completely incompatible with the Religion of Peace(TM), and that part of the world just isn't ready for it, anyway. Ask any Iraqi: Arabs want a strong, fatherly-type figure. Like Saddam.
Rigged elections spelled the end of oppressive and/or corrupt regimes before, notably Ukraine. Whetting peoples' appetite for self-determination and then stealing it from them is an inherently destabilizing act. Assad may yet pay the ultimate price for his tease.
Well, the people of Syria are going to have to do that job, because we damned sure won't. Too bad.
Posted by stackja1945![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/nav-commenters.gif)
| April 26, 2007 5:57 AM
Assad should just put the genie back in the bottle. Worked for Sinbad.
Posted by rbj![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/nav-commenters.gif)
| April 26, 2007 7:48 AM
It is obviously Bush's fault because he hasn't engaged in a dialogue with Syria.
Posted by pilsener![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/nav-commenters.gif)
| April 26, 2007 9:05 AM
It's an interesting incident, but Assad and the Syrian army are still willing to crush any opposition. Followed by collective yawns from the UN, the EU, the Arab League, the Democrats, and the media.
No brutal authoritarian dictatorship here, oppressing its people, and subverting its neighbors - move along now, nothing to see!
Posted by Courtneyme109![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.captainsquartersblog.com/mt/nav-commenters.gif)
| April 26, 2007 5:17 PM
This could be the begining of the end for the Al Assad gangsta clan. Consider - over a million refugees from Iraq are in Syria, basic services are failing, the Islamic movemment is may be gaining support and Al Assad has nothing to show for it all - other than being Iran's foreman for Hiz'B'allah, getting ran out of Lebanon and a bunch of dreary talk about how the Golan used to be in the middle of Syria and not on the border.