Wazi State Television

[Wazistan]

:!: Top Story- Wazi opposition leader returns ahead of Loya Jirga

Opposition leader and WPDO chairman Jamal Bishara returned to Ijad Thursday ahead of the opening session of a Loya Jirga that is expected to name an interim government that would oversee the drafting of a new constitution. Greeted by several members of the WPDO's executive committee and the organization's new Secretary-General Abdullah Queri upon his arrival at Yassin International Airport, Bishara was driven back to his family home in southern Ijad where he was due to hold talks with dozens of political and community leaders.

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Bishara says he will not head the country's interim government

A WPDO spokesman says it is unclear whether Bishara will meet with Tanzim leader Mustafa Kaddoumi, who will also attend Friday's meeting.

More than a thousands delegates and activists have descended on the capital in the last 48 hours as speculation over who will head the new government reaches a fever pitch. Numerous opposition websites have reported that a consensus has emerged among key leaders on a shortlist of candidates to head the interim government, though they say a final a decision is far from being made. A reformist politician, speaking on the condition of anonymity, says the main opposition Wazistan Islamic National Movement has demanded at least a third of cabinet seats in exchange for giving up its claim to head the new government.

The demand has reportedly been rejected by other parties involved on the dicussion.

Bishara, seen by many as the natural candidate to lead the new administration, has already taken is name out of consideration and says he will remain head of the WPDO.

 

[Wazistan]

:!: Top Story- Kashani calls on Shiites to back RDP successor

Speaking to thousands of supporters at Sharif Islamic University in Fars province, top Shiite cleric Ayatollah Ali Mahdhavi Kashani called on Shiites to back a party many consider the successor of the outlawed Revolutionary Democratic Party, in next week's general elections, spurring calls from reformists to break with the Islamic Revolution. Kashani, the spiritual leader of the Shiite Bahj militia, called the Shiite-dominated Hezbollah party the only true political movement that would defend the rights of the country's Shiites and ensure their voices would "remain strong in the halls of power."

WPDO chairman Jamal Bishara, who is said to have privately urged Kashani refrain from backing the hardline party, said he was disappointed by the ayatollah's decision in a statement released by his office.

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Kashani warns Shiites a vote against Hezbollah would be a "vote against the Revolution."

The ayatollah's endorsement of Hezbollah comes as election fever and campaigning is in full steam across the country. Voters will head to the polls this Thursday to not only elect a federal parliament, but also the parliaments of 20 of the country's 27 provinces. Opinion polls, conducting by the Associated Press and several other international news outlets, have pointed to a tight race between the the conservative Wazistan Islamic National Movement and nationalist social democratic Tanzim, though neither party is expected to get a majority in the 546-seat House of Representatives.

The Kurdistan National List, a coalition of Kurdish parties led by the Kurdish Social Party, is expect to easily sweep elections in the predominantly Kurdish southeast, thus putting them in a key position to influence the next government. Polls suggest similar results for Wazistan's Christian-dominated Patriotic Party in western Wazistan.

For the Shiite vote, polls suggests Hezbollah maintains a large lead over the Party of National Solidarity, led by WPDO leader Payan Kasravi, the highest-ranking Shiite within the reformist camp. However, the PNS could pick up at least 10 seats with support from Sunnis in predominantly Shiite provinces of Fars and Wahuk.

Following the election, which will also include the election of 100-member Senate, attention is expected to turn to the election of a president. Under the constitution, the president is elected by a electoral college composed of members of the House, the Senate, and an equal numbers of delegates from the provinces.

Jamal Bishara, a political independent revered as the father of Wazistan's democratic movement, is widely tipped to win the largely ceremonial post.

 

[Fulanistan]

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The Government of Fulanistan hopes that the elections in Wazistan are peaceful and fair, and that a strong, secular country emerges.

 

[Wazistan]

:!: Top Story- Tanzim leader says he won't roll back post-Revolution reforms

Campaigning for Thursday's general elections in the southern Mafraq province, Tanzim party leader Mustafa Kaddoumi pledged Tuesday that he would not seek to overturn "any" of the post-Revolution reforms implemented by interim Prime Minister Samir Abdullah's government over the last year. Abdullah's liberal reforms have been praised by economists for keeping the country's economic afloat amid the political and social upheaval. Abdullah's social reforms have also been endorsed by human rights activists, which had long criticized the country's Islamic rulers over harsh laws that segregated men and women in public and forced women to cover up in public.

Mafraq, which sends 21 MPs to the House of Representatives, is seen as a battleground province.

Polls show a tight race between the Kaddoumi's Tanzim and the conservative Wazistan Islamic National Movement party heading in to Thursday's vote. While analysts say that bread-and-butter issues such as the economy and education appear to be the biggest concern among voters, several have warned that question over the future of Abdullah's reforms could tip the race to either party given the closeness of the race so far.

Hassan Abdel al-Yassin, the Movement's candidate for governor in Ijad province, said the party had plans to review "some aspects" of Abdullah's reforms, but stressed they had no intentions on scrapping "the core" of the reforms.

 

[Wazistan]

:!: Top Story- On eve of vote, Bishara says new government must have "strong mandate."

WPDO chairman Jamal Bishara said Wednesday that any government that emerges from tomorrow's parliamentary election must have a strong public mandate to ensure a stable administration. Meeting with tribal elders from the central Qazum province at his offices in Ijad, Bishara declined to say which party he was supporting in the elections, only saying voters should choose the best party they believe will continue Wazistan's march towards democracy and stability. It is the second time Bishara, who is widely expected to become the country's president after Thursday's vote, has declined to endorse on the federal level.

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Bishara has urged voters to turn out in "overwhelming numbers."

However, his decision to back the Tanzim's candidate for governor in Qazum, his ancestral homeland, has lead to speculation he would rather see the Tanzim emerge on top.

Poll observers and international experts have suggested a tight race between the nationalist left-wing Tanzim and the main opposition Wazistan Islamic National Movement party, the only two parties running candidates in all 27 provinces. While neither party is expected to come close to winning a majority in the 546-seat House of Representatives, a strong plurality will put either in a good position to lead a coalition government.

Analysts predict a strong showing by a Kurdish coalition and Christian party in their strongholds, making them king-makers in any potential coalition talks.

Among Shiite voters, who largely reside in northern Wazistan, observers say the Persian-dominated Hezbollah party, the successor of the clerical-backed Revolutionary Democratic Party, has a commanding lead over the Party for National Solidarity of WPDO vice chairman Payan Kasravi. Shiites made up the backbone of the country's Islamic system and remain deeply suspicious of parties with ties to the democratic movement.

Also Wednesday, the Islamic Renaissance Labor Party announced that interim Prime Minister Samir Abdullah will be its candidate for governor in Gharbia province, an oil-rich region that borders the Kurdish heartland, after its current candidate died last week of a heart attack. Abdullah, who has won praise for his liberal reforms his government has implemented over the last ten months, opted early this year not to seek a federal parliamentary seat and try and retain his job.

 

[Wazistan]

:!: Top Story- Violence mars election as gunmen kill nine

Violence has marred what many Wazis had hoped would be a joyous day for the former Islamic Republic, with gunmen killing three poll workers in western Wazistan and a car bomb killing a mayoral candidate in the south. Police say the attack on the three workers in Zanjan's Dandi city came just before polls opened at 7:00 a.m and suspect Islamist rebels with ties to the former military apparatus of the Islamic system. Later in the day, a mayoral candidate for a small political party in the southern city of Haditha was gunned down as headed to the polls with his family.

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Voters lining up at a polling station in Kut, Diyala

Prime Minister Samir Abdullah condemned the violence and called on Wazis to resist the temptation of violence. Political party leaders also issued statements of condemnation.

As of 12:30 p.m. press briefing, election commission chair Jamal Ibrahim reported turnout stood at 49% of eligible voters, well ahead of estimates released earlier in the month by the Council of Nations' election observer mission head Carl Garborg, who was also at the press briefing.

"It appears the turnout will exceed all expectations, and that is a good thing." Garborg said to laughter.

It is the country's first election since the collapse of Wazistan's Islamic system and under the new Reform constitution. At stake are 646 seats in the federal parliament, 20 governorships, 19 provincial parliaments, and more than 11,000 local positions. Government officials have warned official results are unlikely to be released "for weeks," independent news agencies and papers are expected to release exit polls and unofficial results shortly after polls close.

While more than 100 parties are running in today's vote, observers say the race has largely become a two-legged race focusing on the Wazistan Islamic National Movement and its main rival, the Tanzim party. Both parties are the only groups running in all 27 provinces and the only expected to have the support to lead any future coalition government.

Polls will close at 8:00 p.m., though the election commission has left open the door of possibility of extending voting hours.

 

[Wazistan]

:!: Top Story- Celebrations as exit polls point to Tanzim victory

Celebrations erupted in Ramadi and other cities across southern Wazistan late Thursday after unofficial exit polls showed the left-wing nationalist Tanzim finishing well ahead of its main conservative challenger, putting Tanzim leader Mustafa Kaddoumi in line to become the country's new prime minister. Preliminary results released by the semi-independent Al-Sasi News Agency showed the Tanzim had won with 39% of the vote, while the Wazistan Islamic National Movement, long viewed as the dominant opposition party, trailing a distant second with 20%.

The election commission has said it is unlikely that official results we be released before next month, though analysts expect coalition negotiations to begin as soon as Friday.

In Ramadi, the party's stronghold, thousands of young supporters gathered outside the Tanzim's main headquarters as news of their reported victory. spread. Several top Tanzim officials appeared on a makeshift stage to celebrate with the crowd while Kaddoumi and his top lieutenants reportedly hunkered down inside to discuss what are expected to be grueling coalition talks, though analysts don't expect talks to go very far until official results are released and each party seat numbers are finalized.

Already, Ibrahim Radwan, the deputy head of the conservative opposition party, has said the party has no intentions of opening coalition talks until final results are announced, and warned the Tanzim against celebrating "prematurely."

Aside from two frontrunners, Al-Sasi's exit polls showed the Kurdistan National List and the Christian-dominated Patriotic Party with commanding leads in their respective strongholds, meaning they will likely play a key role in any future federal government. In northern Wazistan, exit polls suggest Shiites voters heeded the call of senior cleric Ayatollah Ali Mahdhavi Kashani and throw their support behind the RDP-linked Hezbollah party, trouncing Payan Kasravi's Party for National Solidarity with more than 60% of the vote in some areas.

 

[Wazistan]

:!: Top Story- Parties gear up for coalition talks as vote count begins

Three days after voting in the country's first post-Revolution general elections, political parties set up Sunday to prepare for what many are expect will be weeks of negotiations aimed at putting together a majority to form a new government. The maneuvering by the major parties comes as the election commission formally began the counting of Thursday's casted ballots, with the first official results expected to be released by Monday morning, according to top officials at the election panel's regional office in Ijad. The count is being overseen by a CoN observer team and several NGOs from across Himyar.

Exit polls from independent news agencies put the Tanzim with a big lead over it's main challenger, the Wazistan Islamic National Movement, though the Movement's leadership has disputed those figures as bias and unsubstantiated.

Despite the tension, both parties reportedly already begun unofficial contacts aimed at bridging their policy differences in hopes of putting together a government. According to the popular Nawaz website, the Tanzim's Revolutionary Council met on Saturday and approved the beginning of "preliminary" talks with the Movement and other parties expected to win seats in the 546-seat House of Representatives, the lower house of parliament where any governing coalition must receive a vote of confidence.

The Party for National Solidarity will also be opening talks with the Tanzim in the hopes of taking part in the new coalition, a party official has told state media in Ijad.

However, some have warned it would be premature to begin such consultations when not a single official result has been released yet. The Kurdistan National List and the Patriotic Party have been announced they will not begin talks with either major party until official numbers are released by the election commission. Together, both parties are expected to win between 50-73 seats, likely putting them in the role of king-maker in any future government.

 

[Wazistan]

Headlines

:!: Tanzim ahead in 11 provinces as election commission unveils first official results.
:!: Kurdish coalition dominants in southeast Wazistan, set to sweep all four Kurdish provinces.
:!: Prime Minister Samir Abdullah arrives in Sulaymaniyah province for talks with Kurdish leadership.
:!: Provincial official: 61 believed dead after fire sweeps through Gaza slum.
:!: Ijad protesters outrage as rolling blackouts force residents to roofs to escape blistering heat.
:!: Interior Ministry announces arrest of 21 former and current military generals for role in suppression of opposition forces.

 

[Wazistan]

Headlines

:!: Reformists pull ahead in latest vote tally.
:!: Sources: Reformist Hassan Abdel al-Yassin wins Ijad governorship after close race.
:!: AP: Tanzim's Mohammad Uday Jamal easily wins Wabit governorship.
:!: Kurds, Christians set to back autonomy plan in referendum.
:!: Flash floods hit southern Anatolia province, dozens feared dead.
:!: Prime Minister pledges "strong support" in efforts to rebuild Kurdish provinces.
:!: Insurgents briefly seize control of police compound in Mosul.

 

[Wazistan]

:!: Top Story- Kaddoumi pledges push for reconciliation

Tanzim political leader Mustafa Kaddoumi called on Wazistan's ethnic communities to put aside centuries of mistrust Tuesday, warning that national unity was the only way to ensure the survival of the Islamic Republic. Analysts say unofficial results from Thursday's general elections, the first since the fall of the Islamic system, appears to show that voters have cemented the country's politics along ethnic and religious lines, an arrangement that could lead to problems in the future.

Only the Tanzim and its main rival, the reformist Wazistan Islamic National Movement, made an effort court voters across ethnic lines, though the latest poll results suggest both parties failed to make major inroads outside Sunni areas.

Kaddoumi is currently seeking to build support for his efforts to form a majority coalition in parliament, boosted by unofficial exit polls that show his left-wing nationalist party will emerge as the largest faction in the House of Representatives. Late Tuesday, Kaddoumi's top advisers met again with leaders of the reformists, seeking to iron out differences in hopes of forming a government. However, both sides have stressed that such talks remain preliminary and that formal coalition talks will only begin after final results are announced.

On Thursday, Kaddoumi and other party leaders will meet with WPDO chairman Jamal Bishara, the reformist Nawaz website has reported. It will be the first meeting between the chairman and party leaders since last week's elections.

 

[Wazistan]

Headlines

:!: Bishara meets Ijad archbishop, expresses support for protection of Church property.
:!: Foreign Ministry: Three diplomats abroad quit post, to seek political asylum.
:!: PM announces appointments to three federal court vacancies.
:!: Reuters: PNS's Samin Bagheri wins Zanjan governorship.
:!: Hezbollah candidates easily win Fars, Kerman governorships.
:!: Telecommunication Ministry OKs creation of Tanzim-owned Al-Anbar television station.

 

[Wazistan]

:!: Top Story- Tanzim wins most seats in parliamentary elections

Mustafa Kaddoumi's left-wing nationalist Tanzim party has been declared the winner of Wazistan's first parliamentary elections, narrowly edging out the top reformist party and putting themselves in pole position to lead the next government. However, the narrowness of the victory, alongside a strong showing by ethnic and sectarian-based parties could mean weeks of tough government formation negotiations and potential policy deadlock even if a government is formed.

In the final results released by the election commission, the Tanzim took 104 seats in the 546-seat House of Representatives, with the conservative reformist Wazistan Islamic National Movement close behind with 100. Both results are far below what analysts had predicted both parties would receive, and contradict several independent exit polls that had showed the Tanzim with a commanding lead over its main rivals. In the end, both parties ended up nearly tying nationally with 19% to 18%.

Wazistan Parliamentary Election Results- 546 seats in total

Tanzim- 104
Wazistan Islamic National Movement- 100
Hezbollah- 88
Patriotic Party- 59
Kurdistan National List- 54
Muslim Brotherhood- 41
Party for National Solidarity- 21
Pashtun National Congress- 20
Turkish Movement- 17
Islamic Progressive Labor Party- 15
Hezb-i-Wazi- 10
State of Law- 6
Hizb Al-Umma- 6
Hizb Al-Ahrar- 5

Celebrations erupted throughout Ijad and other major cities as the results were announced. Prime Minister Samir Abdullah called Kaddoumi and reformist leader Ibrahim Radwan to congratulate them on their strong showing and pledge to provide a "smooth transition."

Hezbollah, a Shiite party considered the successor to the former ruling Revolutionary Democratic Party, was in third place with 88 seats. The party, which had the endorsement of one of the country's most influential Shiite clerics, had been expected to easily trounce its main Shiite rival, the Party for National Solidarity, which in the end came in a distant seventh with only 21 seats.

As expected, the Kurdistan National List easily swept the vote in the Kurdish stronghold of southeast Wazistan, winning 54 seats. In the west, the right-wing Christian-backed Patriotic Party made huge gains, taking 59 seats. Given the historic ties between both parties, the results are expected to place them in the role of king-maker in any government formation talks.

In total, 15 parties will enter the new parliament, far higher than the five that had been expected.

 

[Hesperia]

Diwan of Foreign Affairs

The Sultanate welcomes this news and congratulates the winning parties. It is our hope that we shall soon be able to welcome a new, democratic government in Ijad.

 

[Frescania]

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

We hope the new government success in bringing stability to Wazistan and we look forward to working with it.

 

[Wazistan]

:!: Top Story- Bishara says parliamentary vote shows country faces tough times

Addressing thousands of WPDO supporters at the funeral of a top lieutenant in Gaza City, WPDO chairman Jamal Bishara congratulated Wazis on the "success" of their general elections since the collapse of the Islamic system, but warned the results show the Islamic Republic faced "difficult times ahead." In the final results releases Wednesday by the Wazi National Election Commission, more than 70% of the seats in the powerful lower house of parliament went to parties whose platforms are largely divided on ethnic and sectarian lines, raising questions about the long-term unity of the Islamic Republic.

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Bishara says Wazis must be ready for "difficult times ahead."

Bishara, widely tipped to become the country's first president, has long championed reconciliation among Wazistan's ethnic and religious communities, though many say he is facing an uphill battle after centuries of suspicion and mistrust.

On Thursday, party leaders are expected to begin formal government formation talks the Parliament Building in Ijad. Tanzim officials say that their negotiators are slated to meet with officials from the right-wing Christian Patriotic Party and the Kurdistan National List coalition, but decline to say whether they would sit down with the Wazistan Islamic National Movement, which the Tanzim edged out by only 4 seats.

For their part, the reformists have said they would not give way to the Tanzim in coalition talks, and have hinted they may try and form their own majority. However, analysts have said their potential to form a coalition as small as neither the Tanzim or Party for National Solidarity are expected to sit in a reformist-led government. Also, the reformists are known to have strain ties with the Patriotic Party and the Kurds are said to be reluctant to join any government that does not include them.

 

[Radilo]

The Third Republic congradulates the Wazi people for the establishment of a truely democraic society. For this reason I am announcing that Radilo will resume dipolomatic ties with the Islamic Republic. Now that the democratic process has taken place, I urge the various sects and ideologies to work together in assuring that none of the Wazi peoples are left out.

~ J.J. Auguste, Pres.t
Jean Jacques Auguste,
President of the Radilan Third Republic

 

[Wazistan]

Headlines

:!: PM Abdullah to meet WPDO chairman in Gaza on Friday.
:!: Tanzim opens formal government formation talks with Christians, Kurds.
:!: Al-Azar Grand Imam calls for "speedy election" of new president.
:!: Muslim Brotherhood announces it will sit in opposition.
:!: Polls show large majority set to endorse compromise autonomy plan.
:!: Anti-terror police launch raid on apartment complex in Ramadi, dozens reportedly dead.

 

[Wazistan]

:::Macalania State Radio:::
​

Bishara won't intervene in Kurdish-Tanzim dispute

WDPO chairman Jamal Bishara will not intervene in a growing dispute between the Kurdish leaders and Mustafa Kaddoumi's Tanzim over who should become the country's next prime minister, Bishara associates have told state radio. Political tension in Ijad has risen sharply within the last 24 hours after Kurdish leaders announced they would not sit in any government headed by a Arab, saying the country's two executive positions should not be held by two members of the same ethnic group.

Bishara, an Arab, is widely expected to seek and win the presidency.

While pressure for Bishara to step in and settle the dispute has grown with political circles, close allies say the chairman has made it clear the both sides will have to work out the differences themselves. At a meeting of the WPDO's executive committee early Friday, Bishara reportedly told members that parties "should not rely on the intervention of outside forces to settle their differences."

Aides say Kaddoumi will not relinquish his right to the prime minister's chair without a fight, and Tanzim officials have suggests all options are on the table, including the potential of asking Dr. Bishara to step aside.

However, such a move would not sit well with Western diplomats who view Bishara as the only figure able to keep the country's fractious communities together. Also, it would likely set off a massive revolt within the rank-and-file of the Tanzi, many who still revere Bishara as the father of Wazistan's democratic movement, and complicate his chances of bringing in other parties into his government.

For their part, the Party for National Solidarity has said it would not join the Tanzim if it forced Bishara out of the presidential race. That would deprive Kaddoumi's government of Shiite representation as it is unlikely Hezbollah would join any cabinet at this stage.

It would also like damage the party's popular standing as 89% of the public say Bishara should be elect the country's first president, including 67% of Kurds.

 

[Wazistan]

Headlines

:!: Tanzim set for emergency talks as pressure builds for Kaddoumi to step aside.
:!: Report: Reformists set to drop bid to form coalition, to seek talks with Tanzim.
:!: Abdullah replaces security chief in Rabit after deadly bombing kills 21.
:!: Wazi-Frescanian border closed after wave of illegal crossings, Interior Ministry says.
:!: Officials: Run-off likely in race for Alexandria governorship.
:!: Officials say parliament could convene as early as next week.