According to the Financial Times, the UN will not oversee elections in Iraq.

The UN says it cannot observe the January 30 poll because it played a role in setting up the elections, and no other international organisation has stepped in to offer assistance.

The absence of international monitoring could undermine confidence in the results of elections that are already threatened by widespread voter intimidation and the boycott of Sunni Arab parties.

But I’m sure the New York Times will be right at the forefront ready to declare the election a disaster. In fact, put me down a few bucks that “disaster” is right in the spreadline.

But one UN official said there would be sufficient scrutiny by local party observers and domestic non-governmental organisations. ???????It’s not essential to have international election observers,??????? said Carlos Valenzuela, the UN’s Iraq election expert. A Canada-based umbrella group of electoral experts, the International Mission for Iraqi Elections, was established in December to help assess the process, but insists it is not a monitoring mission.

Of course. There is going to be wide international scrutiny regardless of if the UN is there or not. And I think if these suicide bombers try to ruin the elections, the general populace of Iraq is going to be pissed. The problem we face at that point will be: Will the media cover all of the information correctly and accurately? Or does this have to go to the blogosphere again?

I think we all know the answer to that.