BILL REQ. #:  H-1622.1 

Read first time 02/15/2005.   Referred to Committee on State Government Operations & Accountability.

     TO THE HONORABLE GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED, AND TO DONALD H. RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE, AND TO DR. CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE:
     We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:
     WHEREAS, In one of the grandest days for democracy in the history of the world, millions of Iraqis risked death on Sunday, January 30, 2005, to vote for a 275-member Transitional National Assembly in a free, democratic election, and although there were more than 100 attacks on polling stations by Islamic terrorists, the Iraqis voted; and
     WHEREAS, In their first free elections in more than 50 years, millions of Iraqis turned out to vote with great enthusiasm and determination, making way for a future of peace and freedom, and election day brought unexpected hope and happiness to the streets of Baghdad and cities and towns throughout the nation of Iraq; and
     WHEREAS, In large numbers and at great personal risk, the Iraqi people demonstrated their commitment to democracy making the election an historic accomplishment; and
     WHEREAS, Nine coalitions of political parties, 74 individual political parties, and several independent candidates representing a broad cross-section of Iraq participated in the election; and
     WHEREAS, According to a report of the International Mission for Iraqi Elections (IMIE), "Iraq's Electoral Commission had prepared and put in place a framework for an election that generally meets recognized standards in terms of election law, planning, and preparations"; and
     WHEREAS, The elections were transparent, with the Iraqi Election Information Network (EIN), the umbrella nongovernmental organization overseeing most of the domestic monitoring program, issuing a statement praising the Iraqi people that concluded, "despite problems, which can be considered modest under the circumstances, the election appears to have been conducted without systematic flaws and in accordance with basic international standards"; and
     WHEREAS, Iraqi election organizers were delighted with their success, celebrating the vote as a victory against insurgents and a triumph of democracy with the chief electoral officer of the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq proudly announcing "Freedom has won. We have conquered terrorism"; and
     WHEREAS, On election day Iraqis appeared convinced that a new day had arrived with voters dancing and singing and celebrating, thrusting into the air their ink-stained fingers, a symbol of their initiation into democracy, and expressing a jubilant sense of the undeniable liberation from decades of tyranny; and
     WHEREAS, Seeing thousands of Iraqis with their stains of honor brings a sense of awe at the courage and commitment to freedom they showed; and
     WHEREAS, Optimism abounded as expectations were exceeded in the Iraqi elections with election results expected by mid-February; and
     WHEREAS, After the votes are tabulated and the winners declared, the process of organizing the Transitional National Assembly, forming a government, and drafting and ratifying a constitution that will be the basis of a fully democratic Iraq begins; and
     WHEREAS, The Transitional National Assembly will be seated, and will elect, with a two-thirds vote of its members, a Presidency Council consisting of a President and two Deputy Presidents; and
     WHEREAS, The Presidency Council will appoint a Prime Minister and -on his or her recommendation - cabinet ministers to run the Iraqi government's various ministries; and
     WHEREAS, The Prime Minister and his or her cabinet must receive a vote of confidence by a simple majority of the Transitional National Assembly before commencing work as a government; and
     WHEREAS, The Transitional National Assembly will draft a new Iraqi constitution which is to be presented to the Iraqi people for approval in a national referendum in October 2005; and
     WHEREAS, By the end of 2005, the Iraqi people will elect a new national government under a new, permanent constitution; and
     WHEREAS, One of the most striking trends in the election were the numbers of women voters with the female proportion of voters was as high as 65 percent in many parts of the country, a remarkable achievement in a society where traditionally a woman would only vote with her husband's permission and then according to his instructions; and
     WHEREAS, Twenty-five percent of the seats in the new National Assembly will be reserved for women, giving them a real stake in Iraq's future; and
     WHEREAS, The United States and the other Coalition forces will continue to help the Iraqis provide security and will continue training Iraqi security forces so this rising democracy can eventually take full responsibility for its own future; and
     WHEREAS, The Iraqis continue to face many difficult challenges, but the United States is committed to supporting them in this effort; and
     WHEREAS, The numerous statements that have been made by world leaders supporting the elections and praising the courage of the Iraqi people are most welcome and helpful; and
     WHEREAS, Several Iraqi leaders have publicly stated they want their political process to be inclusive of Iraq's complex mosaic of faiths and peoples and the United States supports this process of inclusiveness; and
     WHEREAS, The Iraqi people proved that they care about the ordinary and essential elements of democratic citizenship, such as the right to free speech and a secret vote; and
     WHEREAS, As if to make the point even more definitively, it was not the suicide bombers, but the voters they killed at the polls, who were buried as martyrs; and
     WHEREAS, Iraqi Prime Minister, Iyad Allawi, has provided great leadership in working with the United States and the Coalition Forces in acting quickly and forcefully against the terrorists and ensuring the success of the election saying, "We will do all we can to strike against enemy forces aiming at harming our country, and we will not stand by with our hands tied. The Iraqi people are determined to establish a democratic government that provides freedom and equal rights for all its citizens. We are prepared to fight and if necessary die for the cause"; and
     WHEREAS, On election day, President George W. Bush said, "Today the people of Iraq have spoken to the world, and the world is hearing the voice of freedom from the center of the Middle East";
     NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully request that Congress and the President continue to take those measures necessary to protect the liberty, independence, and security of the Iraqi people and to promote freedom, democracy, and peace in the Middle East and around the world.
     BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable George W. Bush, President of the United States, and to Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense, and to Dr. Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.