Shiite Leader in Iraq Still Wants Direct Elections

Iraq’s most influential Shiite Muslim cleric reiterated his opposition Sunday to U.S. plans for choosing a transitional government, calling again for direct elections and raising the specter of violence if his demand is ignored.

The cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, rebuffed delegates from the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council who came to this holy city south of Baghdad in a bid to convince him that regional caucuses should choose a new assembly. That body would then choose a transitional government. The U.S.-backed plan would culminate in a new constitution and elected government by December 2005.

Sistani insisted, as he has since November, on direct balloting this year that would give Iraq’s long-repressed Shiite majority a chance to flex its electoral muscle.

“The planned transitional assembly cannot represent the Iraqis in an ideal manner,” he said in a statement. “New problems will arise as a result of this that will only worsen the tensions in the political and security situation.

“The ideal mechanism ... is for elections, which a number of experts confirm can be held within coming months with an acceptable degree of credibility and transparency.”

Meanwhile, impatience with Iraq’s occupiers boiled over in the south Sunday as unemployed Iraqis hurled stones at British troops guarding the city hall in Amarah. The violence occurred a day after clashes in the city southeast of Baghdad killed six protesters and wounded at least 11.

The British drove the crowd back from the compound, which also houses the U.S.-led occupation force and the 1st Battalion of Britain’s light infantry. Homemade bombs exploded during the melee, but no injuries were reported.