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Iraq’s provincial elections underway
31.1.2009
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January
31, 2009
BAGHDAD, — Iraqis were went to the polls
Saturday in the biggest elections in the country’s
history as receding violence created conditions far
more secure than the last ballot in 2005.
Four mortar grenades were fired at polling stations
in Tikrit, the hometown of former president Saddam
Hussein, but no one was hurt, the news agency Aswat
al-Iraq reported.
About 14,400 candidates are contesting 440
provincial seats, creating fierce competition among
candidates that was expected to lead to greater
representation of the country’s sects. Sunnis who
boycotted the last elections are also competing.
The elections present a major test to Iraqi forces
as the administration of US President Barak Obama
prepares a troop pullout plan. Only two days earlier
three Sunni candidates were murdered in different
places in Iraq.
In the restive Diyala province, security forces
imposed a curfew a day before the elections as the
Independent Higher Electoral Commission announced a
halt to campaigning and the removal of all electoral
banners and posters.
Iraqis will choose representatives in 14 out of
Iraq’s 18 provinces. The three northern Kurdistan
provinces and the long disputed Kirkuk will not go
to vote.
The latter in particular has a multi-ethnic
population of Kurds, Arabs and Turkman who have been
clashing over control of the oil-rich province.
Iraq’s central government decided to postpone the
four provinces’ elections to a later date.
Apart from violence, election fraud was another
threat. Far away polls in villages and rural areas
might have few or no observers compared to bigger
cities.
Also, many candidates have been buying peoples votes
with hefty amounts, and there has been criticism of
the Electoral Commission for not doing enough to
control it.
To minimize the risk of terrorist attacks, police
imposed driving bans in some cities. A military
spokesman also said women would have to turn over
their purses upon entering polling stations and
mobile phones would also not be allowed.
While turnout was expected to be high, many Iraqis
are not optimistic that the elections would change
much.
‘I don’t expect a radical change in Iraq’s current
situation,’ said 55-year-old civil servant Mohamed
Shaker, summing up the view of many. ‘Powerful blocs
will be ahead in the coming four years, and this
matter worries us so much.’
A look at the main
political blocs in Saturday's provincial elections
in Iraq.
Supreme Islamic Iraqi
Council — The largest Shiite political
group in Iraq and senior partner in the government
of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The Supreme
Council, headed by Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, has close
ties to Iran but also has developed links with
Washington. The group could challenge al-Maliki for
control of the government in national elections
later this year. It favors greater autonomy in the
Shiite heartland in southern Iraq, which is its
power base.
Dawa Party — The
main Dawa faction is led by al-Maliki. The party was
founded in the 1950s and suffered widespread
persecution under Saddam Hussein, with many members
forced to flee the country. Dawa's popularity has
improved after it backed U.S.-led offensives that
helped reduce militia violence and uproot insurgents
from areas around Baghdad.
Iraqi Islamic Party
— The biggest Sunni political group and a coalition
partner in al-Maliki's government. The group's
leader, Tareq al-Hashemi, is one of Iraq's two vice
presidents. The party gained prominence as one of
the few active Sunni political factions in 2005
provincial elections that were widely boycotted by
most Sunni parties and voters.
Awakening Councils
— The Sunni tribes that rose up — with American
encouragement and aid — against al-Qaida in Iraq and
other insurgents beginning in 2006 in the western
Anbar province. Their revolt is considered one of
the turning points of the war. The tribal leaders
now seek to move into politics.
Al-Sadr Movement
— A Shiite political-militia network led by cleric
Muqtada al-Sadr. The group's influence has waned
after losing clashes with U.S. and Iraqi forces last
year, but al-Sadr still holds sway in Shiite
political affairs. He is in Iran to pursue religious
studies and avoid possible arrest.
Copyright, respective
author or news agency, DPA |
AP
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