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Jalawla, a town in Diyala province to the
northeast of Baghdad, stands as a microcosm of
differing attitudes held by many Kurdish and Sunni
Arab voters. If many of the latter appear
indifferent to the ballot, the Kurds here are eager
to go out and vote.
Ali Fadhl, an Arab, said he was not interested in
voting because he had no information about the
candidates. “I don’t know who the candidates are,”
he said. “So who should I vote for?”
Although they make up about 20 per cent of Iraq’s
population, Sunni Arabs were the group in power
during the Saddam Hussein era. Now they fear they
will be left out of government because of likely
electoral wins by the majority Shia community, which
accounts for some 60 per cent of the population.
Abu Jalal, an Arab, said his decision whether or not
to vote will depend on the final position taken by
Sunni groups on participation. The Association of
Muslim Scholars, a Sunni religious group, has called
for a boycott.
Jalal said that while the election is important, it
cannot be held if a particular group is boycotting
it.
Kurds in Jalawla said they were excited by the
chance to take part in elections. Many people from
this ethnic group, which was persecuted by the
Baathist regime, see the vote as their chance to
assert Kurdish aspirations within the context of a
nationwide political process.
Azad Ali said the Kurds here have been organising
themselves for the election, and will vote for one
of the Kurdish coalitions. Another man, Muhammad
Ahmad, said he is not normally interested in
politics, but would vote on January 30 “if it is
necessary” for his community.
Meanwhile, the Wahhabis, followers of the strict
form of Sunni Islam prevalent in Saudi Arabia, have
taken an extreme position on the elections,
threatening anyone who votes.
No bylines are given because of concerns for the
security of IWPR reporters.
http://www.iwpr.net
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