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Iraqis Around the World go to Polls; Voting in Syria

Aired January 28, 2005 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Cast your ballot. Iraqis around the world go to polls for the first free elections in decades. We're live this hour from Michigan, Maryland and Damascus.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: A glimpse inside the dangerous life of an Iraqi candidate. He doesn't leave home without his armor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: I, Condoleezza Rice, do solemnly swear...

CHIEF JUSTICE RUTH BADER GINSBURG, SUPREME COURT: That I will support and defend...

RICE: ... that I will support and defend...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Condoleezza Rice makes history, but she won't be in Washington for long.

PHILLIPS: Snap. Princess Diana's biographer takes us inside the world of the paparazzi and the prey.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Kyra Phillips.

O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM begins right now.

Well, there is no evidence of hostilities, no word on the fate of the crew. We're two hours into the aftermath of the latest U.S. helicopter crash in Iraq. This one a two-seat Kiowa Warrior in southwest Baghdad.

The OH-58 Kiowa is the military version of the Bell Jet Ranger, a civilian workhorse. It can be used for reconnaissance or attack, depending on how it's configured. It can also carry injured soldiers.

It's much smaller than the Super Stallion that crashed on Wednesday, killing 30 U.S. Marines and a sailor. We'll keep you posted on recovery efforts in Baghdad and we'll have the latest for you on the cause.

PHILLIPS: What can we say? Iraqis abroad savor all the excitement of Iraq's first free elections in half a century while running virtually none of the risk facing countrymen back home. From Australia to Syria to Britain, 14 countries in all, more than a quarter million Iraqi ex-pats are expected to cast ballots from now through Sunday. Four times that many were eligible but failed to register. Still, exuberance is evident at the polling sites, and the quotes are irresistible.

One voter says, "I feel I am born again." Another says, "I'm happier than on my wedding day."

Ex-pat voting is America -- in America, rather, is taking place in or near five major cities: Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Nashville and Washington. CNN's Andrea Koppel is watching the polling in the D.C. suburb of New Carrollton, Maryland.

How does it look, Andrea?

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPT. CORRESPONDENT: Well, they've been trickling in all morning long since the polls opened at 7:00 a.m., Kyra. I'm standing outside the facility where Iraqi-Americans have been going inside after they pass through security to cast their ballots.

Over the next three days, they're expecting about 2,000 Iraqi- Americans to come to this polling facility. 26,000 Iraqi-Americans have registered nationwide in those five sites that you alluded to.

And what they do is they go in there and they have to choose from 111 -- count 'em, 111 political entities and coalitions. This is a copy of it that was turned into a poster so people could learn.

As you can see, there are four lists, all in Arabic. Some of them with symbols next to them showing -- because a lot of these people are unfamiliar to Iraqi-Americans here, let alone to Iraqis in that country, and they had symbols so they know are they voting for a Kurd, for a Sunni, or a Shia, to give them some sense.

In fact, one of them -- one of the voters is standing right next to me. Goran Rahim is a 22-year-old Iraqi-American who lived in northern Iraq. He and two -- his brother and a friend are camped out in the parking lot. They're going to be here for three days, Kyra, to vote and to actually celebrate. They have Kurdish music playing.

Goran, tell our viewers why this has been such an exciting day for you.

GORAN RAHIM, IRAQI VOTER: It's truly an exciting day for all of the Iraqi people because it's the first time in our whole life that we can vote in a free election. In fact, for myself, it's the first time I'm voting in an election. And my vote is against those terrorists, those evils, and my vote is for all those Iraqi kids that -- I don't want them to experience yesterday -- my yesterday that I had.

KOPPEL: Goran, you're holding up your hand. I just want people to see your finger...

RAHIM: OK. KOPPEL: ... that has the blue ink on it. This is what you had to put your finger in just before you cast your ballot?

RAHIM: Yes. That's for so we can can't come back and vote again or just for that. I think it's good.

KOPPEL: Tell me why you and your brother and your friend are going to spend the next three days dancing in the freezing cold? It's bitterly cold out here, and you're going to be dancing.

RAHIM: I think this is a celebration, it's the happiness that we have. This day is just like a dream for all of the Kurdish people in Iraq because there's be a lot of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) against them (UNINTELLIGIBLE). So we spent our lives just to -- in evilness. So now it's time for happiness, and we can spend three days of happiness.

KOPPEL: Well, congratulations to you, Garon.

RAHIM: Thank you very much.

KOPPEL: I know -- I mean, he was out here, Kyra. You should have seen him in his --in his button-down shirt without even a jacket on dancing with the flag around his shoulders, the Kurdish flag. But many Iraqi-Americans of all stripes are going to be coming out here over the next several days to cast their ballot.

Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: Andrea, I'm curious, I don't know if Goran is still there or not, but does he have family in Iraq that is going to vote? Are his family members a little nervous or concerned?

We lost connection with Andrea. Gosh darn it. All right. We'll ask that question next time -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Democratic elections are a novelty, to say the least, in Damascus, but Iraqis are voting there as well, despite the ambivalence of Syria's government.

CNN's Brent Sadler is watching from that outpost -- Brent.

BRENT SADLER, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, indeed, Miles. They are voting here in the Syrian capital, Damascus. Many -- more of them, though, are actually staying on the sidelines, not participating in this first ballot for Iraq for a number of reasons, say election officials on the ground here. Fear of the election, possible fear of repercussions, and reluctance, say those officials, that there could be some sort of blow-back as a result of people taking part in this very first vote.

Now, in terms of what we've seen on the ground, certainly many of the 16,000 who have registered to vote here have been showing up at 10 polling stations here in the Syrian capital. And, indeed, many of them do seem very content.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SADLER (voice-over): In Syria, no rush to cast ballots. Less than 10 percent of Iraqis thought to be living here have registered to vote. A steady trickle of them by midday. Earlier, when this polling station set up shop, two men waiting nearly a lifetime to vote led the way, bemused and irritated at first by disorder inside.

Officialdom, mostly Iraqis, lose sight of the game plan, delaying the vote here by 30 minutes. Organizing, but then reorganizing the layout of who fits where.

Fallah Hassan (ph), a shoe factory worker, and Moyad Maksud (ph), an agriculture engineer, wait impatiently. Meticulous procedure takes its time.

Cleared to vote, Fallah (ph) went first, presenting his registration details, obliging the inky process of voter verification. His friend Moyad (ph) followed the trail. Both men had traveled through the night from Aleppo (ph), four hours by car, to make their early mark. Longtime exiles from Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

"I'm lost for words," explains Fallah (ph). "I'm 49 years old, but I feel as if I've just been born."

Moyad (ph) agrees.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel now like the human.

SADLER: The long ballot sheet appears puzzling for some, challenging for others, with a long list of 111 political entities to choose from.

LOUIS MARTINEZ BETANZOS, INTERNATIONAL OFFICE FOR MIGRATION: The people seem happy. People, they really thought about this. The people who register seem committed with the process. They're very happy that elections are taking place.

SADLER: And it shows in the behavior of this voter, hoping, he enthuses, the ballot will lead Iraqis to a real democracy one day free of threats and death.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SADLER: Well, three days of agreement by the Syrians to host elections here is somewhat remarkable in itself, given there has been unbending, one-man rule here in Syria that's endured for decades. Syria, it seems today, a long way from the kind of democratic reforms now hope will take place in neighboring Iraq -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Brent, I suspect that's probably an example the Syrians would prefer not to have among themselves. What was the key that made it possible for these elections to take place right there?

SADLER: As far as the Syrians are concerned, international pressure, obviously, to make sure that there was the possibility of Iraqis in Syria taking part in this ballot because this country hosts one of the largest concentrations of expatriate potential voters. The Syrians themselves at the highest levels here say they are not afraid of the democratic vote in their own country because they are yet to be convinced that the democratic experiment in Iraq that the United States is helping engineer simply won't work.

O'BRIEN: Interesting. So democracy so long as it's at arm's length. Brent Sadler in Syria. We appreciate it -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: In Iraq, many candidates in Sunday's elections say that they fear for their safety and they are taking extraordinary measures to stay alive. More now from ITN's Julian Manyon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIAN MANYON, ITN REPORTER (voice-over): Leaving his luxury Baghdad home one of the party leaders in the Iraqi elections. If Mishaan Jubouri looks apprehensive, it's because he knows the dangers that lurk in Baghdad streets.

To get to his campaign headquarters a mile away, Jubouri rides in his heavily-armored Land Rover in a convoy packed with armed men. When they arrive, his bodyguards fan out to protect the building.

(on camera): It's a strange way to try to run an election campaign, but this is that Mishaan Jubouri is forced to do it. For there is no doubt that here in Baghdad and in his home city of Mosul, his life is in real danger. There is no shortage of people who, quite simply, would like to kill him.

(voice-over): Jubouri's party list is called "Reconciliation and Liberation," but Islamic militants have warned him not to stand in the elections, and three of his campaign workers have been killed. He doesn't publish the names of the other candidates on his list for fear they will be murdered.

Back at his home, Jubouri is installing more concrete blocks in front of the house against the threat of suicide (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

(on camera): How are you trying to protect yourself here? I mean, you've got -- I mean, how many armed guards have you got and what precautions do you take?

MISHAAN JUBOURI, PARTY LEADER: I have in my house the people who's working for 24 hours. Total, it's about 54 -- 54 persons.

MANYON: Fifty-four armed guards looking after you?

JUBOURI: Yes. Here in the house. I have the same number in my office.

MANYON (voice-over): From inside his Baghdad fortress, Jubouri tries to encourage supporters in the northern city of Mosul. He used to be the mayor of Mosul but can't campaign there because of the ongoing violence.

American troops have been trying to encourage the people of Mosul to go to the polls, but Jubouri believes that their efforts have been counterproductive, and he thinks it's time for the Americans to start leaving Iraq.

JUBOURI: We need help through you. We need -- it's come under (UNINTELLIGIBLE), not in the American.

MANYON: As he rattles around the Iraqi capital in his armored Land Rover, Mishaan Jubouri doesn't yet know if he will win a seat in the new assembly. But no one can doubt that he's had the courage to try.

Julian Manyon, ITV News, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Iraqis vote. And we've got live reports from U.S. polling places all day. Coming up, we are a going to check in with Michigan. We're also going to check in with Major General Don Shepperd for the latest on Baghdad hotspots and how U.S. troops are working to keep as much order as possible.

O'BRIEN: There he is, getting ready with the telestrator and everything.

Plus, counting down to a courtroom thriller. Well, maybe it is for you. Anyway, the latest final judicial touches on Michael Jackson's court case before the jury selection begins. We'll keep you posted on that, if we must.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If they don't want to be photographed, stay home. You have the right to take the picture. They don't have a right to privacy. They're a celebrity just like politicians. When they come out, they shouldn't even object to it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: All right. But we're going to blow the lid off the folks who make the show-bizzers blow their stacks. I'd hate to be on the business end of that thing when you're shopping or something. Pop goes the paparazzi.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: News "Across America" now for you.

Yet another commentator under scrutiny for receiving money from the federal government. Mike McManus is his name. He's a syndicated columnist. He says he's paid about $4,000 to train marriage mentors.

President Bush this week said payments to commentators will stop. That after revelations that syndicated columnist Maggie Gallagher and commentator Armstrong Williams also received government money. Both have been supporters of the Bush administration policies.

In Santa Maria, California, a hearing in the Michael Jackson case today. The judge setting the ground rules for the pop star's upcoming trial on child molestation charges. Jury selection starts Monday.

A high-profile departure at Planned Parenthood. Gloria Feldt has resigned as head of the family planning organization after eight years on the job. Planned Parenthood says a national search for a new president will begin immediately.

And there's a key hearing under way in the fate of a brain- damaged woman in Florida. The parents of Terry Schiavo are asking a judge to reverse his earlier decision. It would allow Schiavo's husband to remove the feeding tube that has kept her alive since 1990. Now, earlier this week, the Supreme Court there refused to step into the fight.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

O'BRIEN: We've got some fresh pictures coming into CNN. The man accused of staging an aborted suicide attempt in southern California, Glendale, a few days ago, causing the wreck of two commuter trains and the deaths of several people was to be arraigned today.

Juan Manuel Alvarez, 25 years old, who had apparently tried to slash his wrists and then stab himself before parking his vehicles on the tracks, was to be arraigned today. But that arraignment was, in fact, postponed so he could undergo further medical evaluation.

As you might understand or surmise, he has been on a suicide watch since he was arrested in the wake of that crash of two commuter trains. And we will be following it for you as he continues his way through the legal process. He does face the possibility of charges of murder with special circumstances in California, which is a code word for saying that it could lead ultimately to charges which would be linked to potentially the death penalty.

Once again, Juan Manuel Alvarez, 25 years old, appears in court but not yet arraigned. It has been delayed pending further medical evaluation. We'll keep you posted.

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Sunday's election is one of a series of important events for the country as it moves forward democracy. At CNN.com, this special report.

June 11, 2004, the process began with the dissolution of the Iraqi Governing Council. January 30, 2005, elections will be held for a 275-member transitional national assembly. Members are expected to draft a new constitution. December 31, 2006, Iraq plans to have the new government in place.

There are a number of people in organizations assisting the process. Some you may know, like interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, and some you may not be familiar with.

Like most democratic elections, election employees will staff polling places. There will be trained election monitors. And Iraqi army and police will be on patrol. Thirty thousand polling places will be set up throughout the country. The polls will open at 7:00 a.m. in Iraq.

For more on the Iraqi elections, you can visit CNN.com/Iraq. From the dot-com desk in Atlanta, I'm Veronica De La Cruz.

PHILLIPS: Well, history is being made as Iraqi expatriates are voting around the world right now, including in a handful of U.S. cities. Our Chris Lawrence is in the Detroit suburb of Southgate, Michigan, where Iraqis are voting under very tight security.

Give us an update, Chris.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, this is the largest voting center here in the country right here. And there has been a small, but fairly steady, flow throughout the day. And it's been an interesting mix of voters showing up here.

Some of them recent immigrants to the United States who spent most of their lives in Iraq. And some young Iraqi-Americans who have lived most of their lives under presidents Clinton and Bush, not Saddam Hussein.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good morning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fatima al- Husseini (ph) is 18 years old and excited about Iraq's fire free election in half a century.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: First of all, it was counting down the weeks, and then it was coming down the days. Now it's just the hours.

LAWRENCE: From talking to college classmates in her political science class...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need to prove that we want this.

LAWRENCE: To after school meetings at a mosque in Dearborn, Michigan.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is the voting in the same place and the same time?

LAWRENCE: Fatima is registered and ready to cast her first vote ever.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's an honor. It's a privilege. And it's an obligation.

LAWRENCE: Election officials estimate there are about 100,000 eligible voters in the Dearborn area, including immigrants like Fatima's new husband, Gator (ph). UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I see too many religious.

LAWRENCE: And young, second generation Iraqis who've never set foot in the country.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm an American. I have an American passport. I was born right here in Detroit, Michigan.

LAWRENCE: Fatima defends her right to vote because her parents are both Iraqi.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I once said if it wasn't for the regime of Saddam Hussein, we would probably still be in Iraq anyways.

LAWRENCE: Gator (ph) was there just four years ago and knows the risk Iraqis are taking on election day. He and Fatima (ph) are disappointed so many young Iraqi-Americans didn't bother to register.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's extremely frustrating because you're given the privilege to vote.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LAWRENCE: And we -- and we just talked to Fatima (ph) a few minute ago. She and her husband will be coming here in about a half an hour or so to cast their votes. But for every one person like her who actually registered to vote, there were nine others who were eligible and did not do so -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: A lot of excitement but low turnout. All right. Chris Lawrence, we'll keep checking in with you.

Well, we invite you to watch an all new CNN special report, "Iraq Votes." The two-hour live primetime edition airs tonight beginning at 7:00 Eastern. Anderson Cooper, Christiane Amanpour, they're live from Iraq with new developments on election preps and security precautions. Paula Zahn is live in New York with a glimpse of American sacrifices.

And at 10:00 Eastern, "NEWSNIGHT WITH AARON BROWN." He's live in Dearborn, Michigan, with a look at Iraqis voting far from home.

O'BRIEN: Ahead on LIVE FROM, celebrity photos. We all love those snapshots, but do those photographers go too far to get them? Well, there's quite a few cases where they do. Let's face it, OK?

Princess Diana's biographer, Andrew Morton, is our guest.

PHILLIPS: A tax on botox? The nip-tuck of your plastic surgery bill, you could have to pay a vanity tax

DAVID HAFFENREFFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm David Haffenreffer at the New York Stock Exchange. A $57 billion deal is catching Wall Street's attention today. We'll have the scoop on the Procter & Gamble-Gillette merger right after the break.

Stay tuned. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(STOCK MARKET REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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Aired January 28, 2005 - 14:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Cast your ballot. Iraqis around the world go to polls for the first free elections in decades. We're live this hour from Michigan, Maryland and Damascus.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: A glimpse inside the dangerous life of an Iraqi candidate. He doesn't leave home without his armor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: I, Condoleezza Rice, do solemnly swear...

CHIEF JUSTICE RUTH BADER GINSBURG, SUPREME COURT: That I will support and defend...

RICE: ... that I will support and defend...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: Condoleezza Rice makes history, but she won't be in Washington for long.

PHILLIPS: Snap. Princess Diana's biographer takes us inside the world of the paparazzi and the prey.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Kyra Phillips.

O'BRIEN: And I'm Miles O'Brien. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM begins right now.

Well, there is no evidence of hostilities, no word on the fate of the crew. We're two hours into the aftermath of the latest U.S. helicopter crash in Iraq. This one a two-seat Kiowa Warrior in southwest Baghdad.

The OH-58 Kiowa is the military version of the Bell Jet Ranger, a civilian workhorse. It can be used for reconnaissance or attack, depending on how it's configured. It can also carry injured soldiers.

It's much smaller than the Super Stallion that crashed on Wednesday, killing 30 U.S. Marines and a sailor. We'll keep you posted on recovery efforts in Baghdad and we'll have the latest for you on the cause.

PHILLIPS: What can we say? Iraqis abroad savor all the excitement of Iraq's first free elections in half a century while running virtually none of the risk facing countrymen back home. From Australia to Syria to Britain, 14 countries in all, more than a quarter million Iraqi ex-pats are expected to cast ballots from now through Sunday. Four times that many were eligible but failed to register. Still, exuberance is evident at the polling sites, and the quotes are irresistible.

One voter says, "I feel I am born again." Another says, "I'm happier than on my wedding day."

Ex-pat voting is America -- in America, rather, is taking place in or near five major cities: Los Angeles, Chicago, Detroit, Nashville and Washington. CNN's Andrea Koppel is watching the polling in the D.C. suburb of New Carrollton, Maryland.

How does it look, Andrea?

ANDREA KOPPEL, CNN STATE DEPT. CORRESPONDENT: Well, they've been trickling in all morning long since the polls opened at 7:00 a.m., Kyra. I'm standing outside the facility where Iraqi-Americans have been going inside after they pass through security to cast their ballots.

Over the next three days, they're expecting about 2,000 Iraqi- Americans to come to this polling facility. 26,000 Iraqi-Americans have registered nationwide in those five sites that you alluded to.

And what they do is they go in there and they have to choose from 111 -- count 'em, 111 political entities and coalitions. This is a copy of it that was turned into a poster so people could learn.

As you can see, there are four lists, all in Arabic. Some of them with symbols next to them showing -- because a lot of these people are unfamiliar to Iraqi-Americans here, let alone to Iraqis in that country, and they had symbols so they know are they voting for a Kurd, for a Sunni, or a Shia, to give them some sense.

In fact, one of them -- one of the voters is standing right next to me. Goran Rahim is a 22-year-old Iraqi-American who lived in northern Iraq. He and two -- his brother and a friend are camped out in the parking lot. They're going to be here for three days, Kyra, to vote and to actually celebrate. They have Kurdish music playing.

Goran, tell our viewers why this has been such an exciting day for you.

GORAN RAHIM, IRAQI VOTER: It's truly an exciting day for all of the Iraqi people because it's the first time in our whole life that we can vote in a free election. In fact, for myself, it's the first time I'm voting in an election. And my vote is against those terrorists, those evils, and my vote is for all those Iraqi kids that -- I don't want them to experience yesterday -- my yesterday that I had.

KOPPEL: Goran, you're holding up your hand. I just want people to see your finger...

RAHIM: OK. KOPPEL: ... that has the blue ink on it. This is what you had to put your finger in just before you cast your ballot?

RAHIM: Yes. That's for so we can can't come back and vote again or just for that. I think it's good.

KOPPEL: Tell me why you and your brother and your friend are going to spend the next three days dancing in the freezing cold? It's bitterly cold out here, and you're going to be dancing.

RAHIM: I think this is a celebration, it's the happiness that we have. This day is just like a dream for all of the Kurdish people in Iraq because there's be a lot of (UNINTELLIGIBLE) against them (UNINTELLIGIBLE). So we spent our lives just to -- in evilness. So now it's time for happiness, and we can spend three days of happiness.

KOPPEL: Well, congratulations to you, Garon.

RAHIM: Thank you very much.

KOPPEL: I know -- I mean, he was out here, Kyra. You should have seen him in his --in his button-down shirt without even a jacket on dancing with the flag around his shoulders, the Kurdish flag. But many Iraqi-Americans of all stripes are going to be coming out here over the next several days to cast their ballot.

Kyra, back to you.

PHILLIPS: Andrea, I'm curious, I don't know if Goran is still there or not, but does he have family in Iraq that is going to vote? Are his family members a little nervous or concerned?

We lost connection with Andrea. Gosh darn it. All right. We'll ask that question next time -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Democratic elections are a novelty, to say the least, in Damascus, but Iraqis are voting there as well, despite the ambivalence of Syria's government.

CNN's Brent Sadler is watching from that outpost -- Brent.

BRENT SADLER, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, indeed, Miles. They are voting here in the Syrian capital, Damascus. Many -- more of them, though, are actually staying on the sidelines, not participating in this first ballot for Iraq for a number of reasons, say election officials on the ground here. Fear of the election, possible fear of repercussions, and reluctance, say those officials, that there could be some sort of blow-back as a result of people taking part in this very first vote.

Now, in terms of what we've seen on the ground, certainly many of the 16,000 who have registered to vote here have been showing up at 10 polling stations here in the Syrian capital. And, indeed, many of them do seem very content.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SADLER (voice-over): In Syria, no rush to cast ballots. Less than 10 percent of Iraqis thought to be living here have registered to vote. A steady trickle of them by midday. Earlier, when this polling station set up shop, two men waiting nearly a lifetime to vote led the way, bemused and irritated at first by disorder inside.

Officialdom, mostly Iraqis, lose sight of the game plan, delaying the vote here by 30 minutes. Organizing, but then reorganizing the layout of who fits where.

Fallah Hassan (ph), a shoe factory worker, and Moyad Maksud (ph), an agriculture engineer, wait impatiently. Meticulous procedure takes its time.

Cleared to vote, Fallah (ph) went first, presenting his registration details, obliging the inky process of voter verification. His friend Moyad (ph) followed the trail. Both men had traveled through the night from Aleppo (ph), four hours by car, to make their early mark. Longtime exiles from Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

"I'm lost for words," explains Fallah (ph). "I'm 49 years old, but I feel as if I've just been born."

Moyad (ph) agrees.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I feel now like the human.

SADLER: The long ballot sheet appears puzzling for some, challenging for others, with a long list of 111 political entities to choose from.

LOUIS MARTINEZ BETANZOS, INTERNATIONAL OFFICE FOR MIGRATION: The people seem happy. People, they really thought about this. The people who register seem committed with the process. They're very happy that elections are taking place.

SADLER: And it shows in the behavior of this voter, hoping, he enthuses, the ballot will lead Iraqis to a real democracy one day free of threats and death.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SADLER: Well, three days of agreement by the Syrians to host elections here is somewhat remarkable in itself, given there has been unbending, one-man rule here in Syria that's endured for decades. Syria, it seems today, a long way from the kind of democratic reforms now hope will take place in neighboring Iraq -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Brent, I suspect that's probably an example the Syrians would prefer not to have among themselves. What was the key that made it possible for these elections to take place right there?

SADLER: As far as the Syrians are concerned, international pressure, obviously, to make sure that there was the possibility of Iraqis in Syria taking part in this ballot because this country hosts one of the largest concentrations of expatriate potential voters. The Syrians themselves at the highest levels here say they are not afraid of the democratic vote in their own country because they are yet to be convinced that the democratic experiment in Iraq that the United States is helping engineer simply won't work.

O'BRIEN: Interesting. So democracy so long as it's at arm's length. Brent Sadler in Syria. We appreciate it -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: In Iraq, many candidates in Sunday's elections say that they fear for their safety and they are taking extraordinary measures to stay alive. More now from ITN's Julian Manyon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JULIAN MANYON, ITN REPORTER (voice-over): Leaving his luxury Baghdad home one of the party leaders in the Iraqi elections. If Mishaan Jubouri looks apprehensive, it's because he knows the dangers that lurk in Baghdad streets.

To get to his campaign headquarters a mile away, Jubouri rides in his heavily-armored Land Rover in a convoy packed with armed men. When they arrive, his bodyguards fan out to protect the building.

(on camera): It's a strange way to try to run an election campaign, but this is that Mishaan Jubouri is forced to do it. For there is no doubt that here in Baghdad and in his home city of Mosul, his life is in real danger. There is no shortage of people who, quite simply, would like to kill him.

(voice-over): Jubouri's party list is called "Reconciliation and Liberation," but Islamic militants have warned him not to stand in the elections, and three of his campaign workers have been killed. He doesn't publish the names of the other candidates on his list for fear they will be murdered.

Back at his home, Jubouri is installing more concrete blocks in front of the house against the threat of suicide (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

(on camera): How are you trying to protect yourself here? I mean, you've got -- I mean, how many armed guards have you got and what precautions do you take?

MISHAAN JUBOURI, PARTY LEADER: I have in my house the people who's working for 24 hours. Total, it's about 54 -- 54 persons.

MANYON: Fifty-four armed guards looking after you?

JUBOURI: Yes. Here in the house. I have the same number in my office.

MANYON (voice-over): From inside his Baghdad fortress, Jubouri tries to encourage supporters in the northern city of Mosul. He used to be the mayor of Mosul but can't campaign there because of the ongoing violence.

American troops have been trying to encourage the people of Mosul to go to the polls, but Jubouri believes that their efforts have been counterproductive, and he thinks it's time for the Americans to start leaving Iraq.

JUBOURI: We need help through you. We need -- it's come under (UNINTELLIGIBLE), not in the American.

MANYON: As he rattles around the Iraqi capital in his armored Land Rover, Mishaan Jubouri doesn't yet know if he will win a seat in the new assembly. But no one can doubt that he's had the courage to try.

Julian Manyon, ITV News, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Iraqis vote. And we've got live reports from U.S. polling places all day. Coming up, we are a going to check in with Michigan. We're also going to check in with Major General Don Shepperd for the latest on Baghdad hotspots and how U.S. troops are working to keep as much order as possible.

O'BRIEN: There he is, getting ready with the telestrator and everything.

Plus, counting down to a courtroom thriller. Well, maybe it is for you. Anyway, the latest final judicial touches on Michael Jackson's court case before the jury selection begins. We'll keep you posted on that, if we must.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If they don't want to be photographed, stay home. You have the right to take the picture. They don't have a right to privacy. They're a celebrity just like politicians. When they come out, they shouldn't even object to it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: All right. But we're going to blow the lid off the folks who make the show-bizzers blow their stacks. I'd hate to be on the business end of that thing when you're shopping or something. Pop goes the paparazzi.

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O'BRIEN: News "Across America" now for you.

Yet another commentator under scrutiny for receiving money from the federal government. Mike McManus is his name. He's a syndicated columnist. He says he's paid about $4,000 to train marriage mentors.

President Bush this week said payments to commentators will stop. That after revelations that syndicated columnist Maggie Gallagher and commentator Armstrong Williams also received government money. Both have been supporters of the Bush administration policies.

In Santa Maria, California, a hearing in the Michael Jackson case today. The judge setting the ground rules for the pop star's upcoming trial on child molestation charges. Jury selection starts Monday.

A high-profile departure at Planned Parenthood. Gloria Feldt has resigned as head of the family planning organization after eight years on the job. Planned Parenthood says a national search for a new president will begin immediately.

And there's a key hearing under way in the fate of a brain- damaged woman in Florida. The parents of Terry Schiavo are asking a judge to reverse his earlier decision. It would allow Schiavo's husband to remove the feeding tube that has kept her alive since 1990. Now, earlier this week, the Supreme Court there refused to step into the fight.

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O'BRIEN: We've got some fresh pictures coming into CNN. The man accused of staging an aborted suicide attempt in southern California, Glendale, a few days ago, causing the wreck of two commuter trains and the deaths of several people was to be arraigned today.

Juan Manuel Alvarez, 25 years old, who had apparently tried to slash his wrists and then stab himself before parking his vehicles on the tracks, was to be arraigned today. But that arraignment was, in fact, postponed so he could undergo further medical evaluation.

As you might understand or surmise, he has been on a suicide watch since he was arrested in the wake of that crash of two commuter trains. And we will be following it for you as he continues his way through the legal process. He does face the possibility of charges of murder with special circumstances in California, which is a code word for saying that it could lead ultimately to charges which would be linked to potentially the death penalty.

Once again, Juan Manuel Alvarez, 25 years old, appears in court but not yet arraigned. It has been delayed pending further medical evaluation. We'll keep you posted.

VERONICA DE LA CRUZ, CNN ANCHOR: Sunday's election is one of a series of important events for the country as it moves forward democracy. At CNN.com, this special report.

June 11, 2004, the process began with the dissolution of the Iraqi Governing Council. January 30, 2005, elections will be held for a 275-member transitional national assembly. Members are expected to draft a new constitution. December 31, 2006, Iraq plans to have the new government in place.

There are a number of people in organizations assisting the process. Some you may know, like interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, and some you may not be familiar with.

Like most democratic elections, election employees will staff polling places. There will be trained election monitors. And Iraqi army and police will be on patrol. Thirty thousand polling places will be set up throughout the country. The polls will open at 7:00 a.m. in Iraq.

For more on the Iraqi elections, you can visit CNN.com/Iraq. From the dot-com desk in Atlanta, I'm Veronica De La Cruz.

PHILLIPS: Well, history is being made as Iraqi expatriates are voting around the world right now, including in a handful of U.S. cities. Our Chris Lawrence is in the Detroit suburb of Southgate, Michigan, where Iraqis are voting under very tight security.

Give us an update, Chris.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, this is the largest voting center here in the country right here. And there has been a small, but fairly steady, flow throughout the day. And it's been an interesting mix of voters showing up here.

Some of them recent immigrants to the United States who spent most of their lives in Iraq. And some young Iraqi-Americans who have lived most of their lives under presidents Clinton and Bush, not Saddam Hussein.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good morning.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good morning.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Fatima al- Husseini (ph) is 18 years old and excited about Iraq's fire free election in half a century.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: First of all, it was counting down the weeks, and then it was coming down the days. Now it's just the hours.

LAWRENCE: From talking to college classmates in her political science class...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We need to prove that we want this.

LAWRENCE: To after school meetings at a mosque in Dearborn, Michigan.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is the voting in the same place and the same time?

LAWRENCE: Fatima is registered and ready to cast her first vote ever.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's an honor. It's a privilege. And it's an obligation.

LAWRENCE: Election officials estimate there are about 100,000 eligible voters in the Dearborn area, including immigrants like Fatima's new husband, Gator (ph). UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I see too many religious.

LAWRENCE: And young, second generation Iraqis who've never set foot in the country.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm an American. I have an American passport. I was born right here in Detroit, Michigan.

LAWRENCE: Fatima defends her right to vote because her parents are both Iraqi.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I once said if it wasn't for the regime of Saddam Hussein, we would probably still be in Iraq anyways.

LAWRENCE: Gator (ph) was there just four years ago and knows the risk Iraqis are taking on election day. He and Fatima (ph) are disappointed so many young Iraqi-Americans didn't bother to register.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's extremely frustrating because you're given the privilege to vote.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LAWRENCE: And we -- and we just talked to Fatima (ph) a few minute ago. She and her husband will be coming here in about a half an hour or so to cast their votes. But for every one person like her who actually registered to vote, there were nine others who were eligible and did not do so -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: A lot of excitement but low turnout. All right. Chris Lawrence, we'll keep checking in with you.

Well, we invite you to watch an all new CNN special report, "Iraq Votes." The two-hour live primetime edition airs tonight beginning at 7:00 Eastern. Anderson Cooper, Christiane Amanpour, they're live from Iraq with new developments on election preps and security precautions. Paula Zahn is live in New York with a glimpse of American sacrifices.

And at 10:00 Eastern, "NEWSNIGHT WITH AARON BROWN." He's live in Dearborn, Michigan, with a look at Iraqis voting far from home.

O'BRIEN: Ahead on LIVE FROM, celebrity photos. We all love those snapshots, but do those photographers go too far to get them? Well, there's quite a few cases where they do. Let's face it, OK?

Princess Diana's biographer, Andrew Morton, is our guest.

PHILLIPS: A tax on botox? The nip-tuck of your plastic surgery bill, you could have to pay a vanity tax

DAVID HAFFENREFFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm David Haffenreffer at the New York Stock Exchange. A $57 billion deal is catching Wall Street's attention today. We'll have the scoop on the Procter & Gamble-Gillette merger right after the break.

Stay tuned. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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