Election Delays in Iraq, Afghanistan Story aired: Tuesday, February 17, 2004
The United Nations is expected to state its opinion this week on the possibility of holding elections in Iraq by the June 30th deadline.
U.S. officials have already said they would prefer an interim government, selected by caucuses, with national elections delayed for a year.
A leading Shia cleric is calling for immediate direct elections, but U.S. administrators say Iraqi voters can't be registered in time. There is one exception. Tobin Bradley, political advisor for the Coalition Provisional Authority, has been conducting direct elections in the Iraqi province of Dhi Gar.
The United States also hopes to broker national elections in Afghanistan this coming June. As in Iraq, some administration officials have begun to express doubt about present timetables
