With the Iraqi Provincial Elections coming up at the end of this month, I thought I would start a new Iraq thread. From articles I have been reading lately and the ones I posted below, it seems like the campaigning for these elections is going full out. A very good sign for the future of democracy in Iraq.
Iraqi voters show preference for can-do over creed
I have been amazed by the photos coming out of Iraq lately with street signs, walls or any flat surface completely covered with candidate's posters.
I was also very encouraged that Iraq's most influential cleric, al-Sistani has put out the message for everybody to go out and vote, saying "The religious leadership stands an equal distance away from all candidates in these elections, but it stresses at the same time that voters must, after thorough checks and examination, choose those who are worthy of becoming members of provincial councils." This is an great statement for one with his standing to make.
Iraqi Voters Getting a Taste of Retail Politics
Is democracy finally starting to take hold in Iraq? I think if these elections come out well, as well the elections for Parliament at the end of the year, it should be considered a success.
What do you guys think will happened next week? Will the secular parties have a stronger showing in this election? Will al-Malicki emerge stronger or weaker with the candidates affliated with him? Do you think the Iraqis will vote to Approve or Reject the SOFA Agreement in the referendum that will be held in the summer?
Iraqi voters show preference for can-do over creed
Quote:
| An emerging backlash against rule by religious parties gives opening to technocrats in Jan. 31 provincial elections. Mohamed al-Rubeiy, the image of a prosperous businessman in a dark blue suit and gold watch, beams from thousands of posters plastered on walls advertising his run for a seat in Iraq's provincial elections. The liberal, middle-aged businessman is running a campaign that he says was inspired by Barack Obama – blending American-style tactics with traditional Iraqi politics – and is emblematic of what appears to be a groundswell against rule by religious parties. "There has been a backlash," says Adnan Pachachi, a former Iraqi foreign minister and now a member of parliament. Mr. Rubeiy is affiliated with his party. "There has been so much corruption because the religious parties got people who were not qualified to run the ministries.... It's really been a bitter disappointment in some places because they say we voted for them and they did nothing." An Iraqi government-funded opinion poll recently found that nearly one-third of voters surveyed listed improving local services as their biggest priority. Almost half preferred secular over religious candidates. Rubeiy is one of more than 4,400 candidates competing for 440 provincial council seats in 14 (out of 18) Iraqi provinces. The vote, with its much larger participation by Sunni parties than the last election, is expected to redraw Iraq's political map in many places and pave the way for a redistribution of power in national elections at the end of the year. |
I was also very encouraged that Iraq's most influential cleric, al-Sistani has put out the message for everybody to go out and vote, saying "The religious leadership stands an equal distance away from all candidates in these elections, but it stresses at the same time that voters must, after thorough checks and examination, choose those who are worthy of becoming members of provincial councils." This is an great statement for one with his standing to make.
Iraqi Voters Getting a Taste of Retail Politics
Quote:
| Facing a skeptical and sometimes hostile crowd, 13 candidates vying for seats on Baghdad's provincial council passed around a microphone for three hours during a town hall debate this month as voters threw out questions and challenged their answers. "Should the militarizing of Iraq continue?" one woman sitting in the front row wanted to know. "How are you going to deal with run-down buildings?" a man asked. "And the housing crisis?" "How much have you spent on your campaigns?" an Iraqi journalist demanded. "Especially the big religious parties?" At events like this one, at a social club in Baghdad, Iraqi politicians campaigning for seats in the Jan. 31 provincial elections have promoted themselves vigorously and engaged voters on both global and grass-roots issues. This brand of retail politics marks a dramatic shift from campaigns conducted in 2005, the last time Iraq held elections nationwide. Amid growing violence at the time, most candidates ran largely faceless campaigns under the umbrellas of established parties defined by sect and religion. |
What do you guys think will happened next week? Will the secular parties have a stronger showing in this election? Will al-Malicki emerge stronger or weaker with the candidates affliated with him? Do you think the Iraqis will vote to Approve or Reject the SOFA Agreement in the referendum that will be held in the summer?
