Voice Said to Be Zarqawi’s Declares War on Democracy

A speaker purporting to be Iraq’s most feared terrorist leader declared a “fierce war” on democracy and said in an audiotape posted Sunday on the Internet that Americans were using next weekend’s elections to install Shiite Muslims in power.

According to the recording, the authenticity of which could not be verified, Abu Musab Zarqawi called candidates running in the Iraqi elections “demi-idols” and the people who plan to vote for them “infidels.” Zarqawi’s militant group has claimed responsibility for some of the deadliest attacks of the insurgency.

On the tape, the speaker berated the country’s Shiite majority for embracing the election and urged the once-dominant Sunni minority to wage what he termed a holy fight against it.

“We have declared a fierce war on this evil principle of democracy and those who follow this wrong ideology,” said the speaker, who identified himself as Zarqawi. “Anyone who tries to help set up this system is part of it.”