Hope for Change in Iraq | ||
By Mohammad Reza Mazlumi (M.Sc.) Eleven years after the United States led a war to topple Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq, many Iraqis voice their hope that the parliamentary elec¬tions would bring about a change to the country, although Iraq still needs a long way to go before it becomes a stable and prosperous state. “All the blocs are focusing on change, which means po¬litical leaders have realized that there is a desire among the Iraqi public for a change, and there¬fore the strategies of electoral campaigns were concentrating on showing that they are willing to make a change,” said Ahmed al-Sharifi, a researcher with the Iraqi Center of Strategic Study. However, the State of Law Coalition, led by al-Maliki, campaigned under the goal of forming a governing majority, saying internal conflicts in the current power-sharing “partner¬ship” government were the cause of Iraq’s political, economic and security crises. “Together we can reform the political process... We have to make a change on the basis of the constitution to meet the ex¬pectation of our people,” al-Ma¬liki told an election rally for his coalition in Baghdad. The definition of the majority government is clear. A majority government means participation of all Iraqis regardless of their religious or ethnic affiliations in a country composed of many diverse ethnic and religious groups. Al-Maliki’s idea of majority government is a political ap¬proach that would prevent more internal division among Iraqis because it would stop the sec¬tarian and political polarization and would decrease animosity among the factions. Following the last parliamen¬tary elections in March 2010, continuing disputes over vote counting, legal interpretations and alliance negotiations result¬ed in more than eight months of political deadlock. In this year’s elections, the major sectarian and ethnic blocs have fragmented into many smaller alliances as the Federal Supreme Court ruled in 2010 that the “largest bloc,” which has the right to form a new govern¬ment, can mean the largest coali¬tion that is reformed after the elections. The State of Law Coalition won a landslide victory in the elections this time and secured a majority despite facing some challenges from other electoral blocs.
Firm to Fight TerrorismProfound division and infight¬ing among the Iraqi factions, fanned and supported by outside forces, has pushed the govern¬ment to harness all is energy to contain the war of terror launched by terrorists linked to al-Qaeda. The State of Law Coalition is determined to fight terrorism which is supported by outside forces. A large number of terrorists have come to Iraq from other countries including some of the European countries. According to the UN Assis¬tance Mission for Iraq, a total of 8, 868 Iraqis, including 7,818 civilians and civilian police personnel, were killed in 2013, the highest annual death toll in years. Mohammad Reza Mazlumi is a techer at Towhid High School, Shiraz.
Main Parties and Groups in Iraq More than 9,000 candidates from nearly 280 political entities run for the 328 seats in Iraq’s parliamentary elections, the first since the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country by the end of 2011. The following is a brief introduction of some major coalitions and parties that ran for the elections:
I. Mainly Shiite coalitions and parties:State of Law CoalitionThe State of Law Coalition consists of 12 political entities led by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, leader of the Islamic Dawa Party. The bloc came second with 89 seats in the 2010 parliamentary elections, but later built a larger alliance with other coalitions to form a new government in a move that upset the Iraqiya coalition which won 91 seats. It campaigned to form a majority government and strengthen the central rule. The State of Law Coalition led in the elections this time and secured a majority.
Citizen CoalitionThe Citizen Coalition consists of 20 political entities led by Ammar al-Hakim, leader of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, a major Shiite Islamist political party. Former Deputy Prime Minister Ahmed Chalabi is a member of the bloc. The Citizen Coalition adopted more moderate positions in its campaigns this time to expand its ranks.
Ahrar CoalitionThe Ahrar Coalition of three political entities is formed mainly by followers of the Shiite Islamist Sadrist Movement. The bloc is a vocal critic of the al-Maliki administration. Although Sadrist Movement leader Muqtada al-Sadr has claimed to withdraw from politics, the Ahrar Coalition ran in the elections.
National Reform AllianceThe National Reform Alliance consists of seven political entities led by former Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, leader of the National Reform Movement, a conservative Shiite Islamic party. The bloc called for reforms but is considered to be close to al-Maliki’s policies.
II. Mainly Sunni/secular coalitions and parties:United for Reform CoalitionThe United for Reform Coalition consists of 13 political entities led by parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi. The bloc, which is often at odds with al-Maliki’s government, is seeking to win support across Sunni areas and become a leading Sunni force.
Al-Arabiya CoalitionThe Al-Arabiya Coalition consists of nine political entities led by deputy Prime Minister Salih al-Mutlak, leader of the Iraqi Front for National Dialogue, a Sunni Arab political party. The Arab nationalist bloc’s supporters are from Sunni-majority areas, but its influence declines in Anbar province where many people think al-Mutlak is close to the prime minister.
National CoalitionThe National Coalition consists of 15 political entities led by former Prime Minister AyadAllawi. The cross-sectarian alliance features nationalist members from both Sunni and Shiite areas and participated in elections in all Arabic-speaking provinces.
Dignity BlocThe newly-formed Sunni political bloc named Dignity, which is sponsored by wealthy Iraqi businessman Khamis al-Khanjar, opposes Maliki’s government.
III. Kurdish coalitions and parties:Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)The KDP, founded in 1946 by prominent Kurdish nationalist leader Mustafa Barzani, is one of the two governing parties in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region. Its current leader is MasoudBarzani, son of Mustafa Barzani and president of the autonomous region. In the Kurdish regional parliament elections in 2013, the KDP came first by wining 38 seats out of the total 111 seats.
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK)The PUK was founded in 1975 by leading Kurdish politician Jalal Talabani, who is also the current Iraqi president. The PUK is one of the two governing parties in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region. Talabani has been in Germany for treatment after he suffered a stroke in December 2012. In the Kurdish regional parliament elections in 2013, the PUK ranked third by wining 18 seats out of the total 111 seats.
Change MovementThe Change Movement is a reformist Iraqi Kurdish opposition party founded by former PUK deputy leader Nawshirwan Mustafa in 2009. It has been challenging the years-old KDP-PUK duopoly in Kurdish politics. In the Kurdish regional parliament elections in 2013, the Change Movement came second by wining 24 seats out of the total 111 seats.
Influential Iraqi Figures The following are facts about some heavyweight Iraqi statesmen and figures of huge influences in the country's political life.
Prime Minister Nuri al-MalikiAl-Maliki was born near Iraq’s southern city of Hila. He joined the Islamic Dawa Party in the late 1960s. As former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein extended crackdown on its opponents, al-Maliki fled the country in 1979 to take refuge in Iran and Syria. He came back to Iraq after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. Al-Maliki became Iraq’s prime minister in 2006 and was elected as secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party in 2007. He managed to retain his office as prime minister in 2010 though his State of Law Coalition came second in the parliamentary elections. As a powerful Shiite statesman, al-Maliki led his State of Law Coalition in the elections. His coalition took the lead in the elections.
President Jalal TalabaniEighty-year old Talabani is a leading Kurdish statesman and founder of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, one of the two ruling parties in the autonomous Kurdish region. He has been Iraq’s president since 2005. In December 2012 Talabani suffered a stroke and was later sent to Germany for treatment. He has never come back to Iraq ever since. Known as Iraq’s peacemaker, Talabani played a vital role in the country’s unity. But his health condition and long absence have caused a decline in his influence.
Deputy Prime Minister Salih al-MutlakAl-Mutlak was born in Fallujah of Iraq’s western Anbar province in 1947. He was an active member of the Ba’ath Party, but was expelled in 1977 after criticizing the government. He was one of the three deputy prime ministers of Iraq since 2010. Al-Mutlak led the Al-Arabiya Coalition to participate in this year’s elections. The Arab nationalist bloc’s supporters are from Sunni-majority areas, but its influence declines in Anbar where many people think al-Mutlak is close to the prime minister.
Grand Ayatollah Ali Husseini SistaniSistani was born in Iran’s Mashhad in 1930. He is currently highest-ranking Shiite Muslim religious scholar in Iraq and lives in Najaf. As an important political figure in post-invasion Iraq, he usually keeps himself out of normal politics in the country. But with his great influence over Iraqi Shiites, he urged them to vote actively in the elections for a better future of Iraq. Former Prime Minister AyadAllawiAllawi was born in Iraq’s capital city of Baghdad in 1945. A prominent Iraqi political activist who lived in exile for almost 30 years, the secular Shiite Muslim came back to Iraq following the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. He was prime minister of Iraq’s interim government from June 2004 to April 2005. The Iraqiya List, a cross-sectarian alliance led by Allawi, came first in the 2010 elections but failed to form a government. With the breakdown of the Iraqiya List, Allawi led a much smaller National Coalition in this year’s elections.
Kurdish Regional President MasoudBarzaniBorn in Mahabad, Iran, in 1946, Barzani is a leading Kurdish statesman. He succeeded his father, prominent Kurdish nationalist leader Mustafa Barzani, as the head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in 1979. He has been president of the autonomous Kurdish region in Iraq since 2005. As leader of the largest Kurdish political party, Barzani is expected to be a highly influential player in Iraq’s post-election politics.
Ammar al-HakimAl-Hakim is the head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI), a major Shiite party in Iraq. He was born in Najaf in south Iraq in 1971. He went into exile in Iran in 1979 with his father Abdul Aziz Al-Hakim, who was ISCI leader until his death in 2009. Al-Hakim led the Citizen Coalition to participate in this year’s elections. The coalition adopted more moderate positions in its campaigns to expand its ranks and is considered a strong rival to the State of Law Coalition.
Parliament Speaker Osama al-NujaifiAl-Nujaifi was born in Iraq’s northern city of Mosul in 1956. He worked in Iraq’s electricity departments for 12 years after graduating from the University of Mosul in 1978. He was minister of industry in Iraq’s Transitional Government from May 2005 to April 2006. He has been Iraq’s parliament speaker since 2010. A frequent critic of al-Maliki’s policies, al-Nujaifi in April 2013 even called for the resignation of the government and for early elections. In this year’s elections, al-Nujaifi led the United for Reform Coalition, whose supporters are mostly from Sunni areas. Muqtada al-SadrAl-Sadr is a prominent Shiite political leader in Iraq and head of the Islamist Sadrist Movement. He was born in Najaf, south Iraq, in 1974. After the fall of the Saddam government in 2003, Sadr came out as an anti-U.S. political leader whose military wing Mehdi Army used to engage in violent conflicts with the U.S. and other coalition forces. In February 2014, al-Sadr suddenly announced that he has withdrawn from politics and closed his political offices. But the Ahrar Coalition, mostly consisting of followers of the Sadrist Movement, ran in the elections.
Former Prime Minister Ibrahim al-JaafariAl-Jaafari was born in Karbala, south Iraq, in 1947. He became an active member of the Islamic Dawa Party before he fled the country in 1980 to take refuge in Iran and Britain. He came back to Iraq as a leader of the party after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. He was prime minister in Iraq’s Transitional Government from May 2005 to April 2006. In 2008 al-Jaafari launched a Shiite-Islamic-based party called the National Reform Movement and defected the Islamic Dawa Party. He led the National Reform Alliance which participated in this year’s elections | ||
Statistics View: 4,620 |
||