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01-28-2009, 04:33 PM
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2009-01-27-iraqi-vote_N.htm
By Aamer Madhani, USA TODAY
BAGHDAD — The election campaign that is coming to a close in Iraq might be most notable for the relative absence of two words: "Shiite" and "Sunni."
With fresh memories of fighting between the two Islamic sects that nearly tore the country apart in 2006-07, candidates in Saturday's elections for provincial legislatures have largely avoided highlighting their sectarian affiliation — or disparaging that of others.
Instead, they have spent most of their time appealing to voters as agents of change who can address the needs of all Iraqis.
That strategy reflects a hunger among the Iraqi public for politicians who can deliver basic services in a country where clean water and an end to continual blackouts have replaced security as the top issues.
"The Iraqi people are tired of Shiite and (Sunni) Islamists who just cheat and steal from the Iraqi people," Khalaf al-Alayan of the Sunni National Dialogue Council. "They want a government that does something."
In Iraq's most recent nationwide elections, the 2005 vote for parliament, Shiite candidates affiliated with the Shiite Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Dawa Party swept past more secular-minded groups, as the nation's Shiite majority came to the polls to reverse several decades of Sunni domination under Saddam Hussein.
There are signs this round of elections will be different.
Forty-two percent of respondents to a recent poll conducted by the Iraqi government-sponsored National Media Center said they preferred secular candidates, while 31% said they would throw their support behind one of the religious parties.
"I hope the election results this time will bring us leaders who meet the needs of Iraqi society: electricity, security, better hospitals," said Hazem Jaber, a 39-year-old shop owner in Baghdad's Shiite Karrada district. "Very few of the government officials we have now have met the aspirations of the Iraqi people."
Long list of candidates
When Iraqis head to the polls, they'll pick from a roster of names as long as a small-town phonebook, capping a campaign season that has been notable for its vigor and relative lack of violence.
There are more than 400 "lists" — groups of affiliated candidates — that bring together 14,000 people vying for 440 seats in provincial legislatures around Iraq.
Since the lists are composed largely of unknown party insiders and technocrats, many have affiliated themselves with national parties and high-profile politicians. Al-Alayan's party, for example, has sponsored a list of candidates called the Iraqi National Project Assembly.
The result has been a surprisingly robust campaign: It often seems as if every flat surface between the northern city of Mosul and the southern port of Basra is covered with campaign posters.
Far more than local government seats are at stake, though. How the voting — and subsequent transfer of power — are carried off could provide a sense of how quickly President Obama will be able to begin his pledge to draw down U.S. troops. The election also marks an early referendum on the tenure of al-Maliki, who is sponsoring multiple lists of candidates.
Although the campaign has been more peaceful than anyone could have predicted a year ago, two candidates and a campaign manager have been assassinated. Former prime minister Ayad Allawi is among politicians who have charged that al-Maliki is misusing government funds as he travels around southern Iraq on behalf of candidates aligned with him.
Election monitors have disqualified at least two dozen candidates — including 10 from Allawi's ticket — because they used to be senior members of Saddam's Baath Party.
Allawi's list includes a mix of Sunnis and Shiites, and he believes some former Baathists shouldn't be barred. Overall, though, he says there have been signs during the campaign that "things are not going to move with the integrity and honesty we expected."
Complex rules
Several party leaders worry that the large number of candidates and complex election rules could create special problems.
Lists that do not achieve a minimum amount of votes — the actual number will depend on the number of votes cast — will not qualify to send a representative to the provincial legislature. Bahaa al-Araji, a Shiite legislator who is overseeing two lists, estimates that 1 million Iraqis will not see any of the candidates they vote for get a legislative seat.
That could result in some unrest, al-Araji said. "After the election, it could be a very dark time in Iraq."
The elections could also be a boost for al-Maliki if his candidates perform well. Al-Araji and other Iraqi politicians have voiced concerns that al-Maliki is accumulating too much power and using it to sideline his political rivals in places such as the Interior Ministry, which runs Iraq's security forces.
Supporters for al-Maliki reject such worries.
"Prime Minister al-Maliki is not sectarian," said Abbas al-Bayati, a parliament member aligned with al-Maliki. "His list will do well, because the people want security."
By Aamer Madhani, USA TODAY
BAGHDAD — The election campaign that is coming to a close in Iraq might be most notable for the relative absence of two words: "Shiite" and "Sunni."
With fresh memories of fighting between the two Islamic sects that nearly tore the country apart in 2006-07, candidates in Saturday's elections for provincial legislatures have largely avoided highlighting their sectarian affiliation — or disparaging that of others.
Instead, they have spent most of their time appealing to voters as agents of change who can address the needs of all Iraqis.
That strategy reflects a hunger among the Iraqi public for politicians who can deliver basic services in a country where clean water and an end to continual blackouts have replaced security as the top issues.
"The Iraqi people are tired of Shiite and (Sunni) Islamists who just cheat and steal from the Iraqi people," Khalaf al-Alayan of the Sunni National Dialogue Council. "They want a government that does something."
In Iraq's most recent nationwide elections, the 2005 vote for parliament, Shiite candidates affiliated with the Shiite Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Dawa Party swept past more secular-minded groups, as the nation's Shiite majority came to the polls to reverse several decades of Sunni domination under Saddam Hussein.
There are signs this round of elections will be different.
Forty-two percent of respondents to a recent poll conducted by the Iraqi government-sponsored National Media Center said they preferred secular candidates, while 31% said they would throw their support behind one of the religious parties.
"I hope the election results this time will bring us leaders who meet the needs of Iraqi society: electricity, security, better hospitals," said Hazem Jaber, a 39-year-old shop owner in Baghdad's Shiite Karrada district. "Very few of the government officials we have now have met the aspirations of the Iraqi people."
Long list of candidates
When Iraqis head to the polls, they'll pick from a roster of names as long as a small-town phonebook, capping a campaign season that has been notable for its vigor and relative lack of violence.
There are more than 400 "lists" — groups of affiliated candidates — that bring together 14,000 people vying for 440 seats in provincial legislatures around Iraq.
Since the lists are composed largely of unknown party insiders and technocrats, many have affiliated themselves with national parties and high-profile politicians. Al-Alayan's party, for example, has sponsored a list of candidates called the Iraqi National Project Assembly.
The result has been a surprisingly robust campaign: It often seems as if every flat surface between the northern city of Mosul and the southern port of Basra is covered with campaign posters.
Far more than local government seats are at stake, though. How the voting — and subsequent transfer of power — are carried off could provide a sense of how quickly President Obama will be able to begin his pledge to draw down U.S. troops. The election also marks an early referendum on the tenure of al-Maliki, who is sponsoring multiple lists of candidates.
Although the campaign has been more peaceful than anyone could have predicted a year ago, two candidates and a campaign manager have been assassinated. Former prime minister Ayad Allawi is among politicians who have charged that al-Maliki is misusing government funds as he travels around southern Iraq on behalf of candidates aligned with him.
Election monitors have disqualified at least two dozen candidates — including 10 from Allawi's ticket — because they used to be senior members of Saddam's Baath Party.
Allawi's list includes a mix of Sunnis and Shiites, and he believes some former Baathists shouldn't be barred. Overall, though, he says there have been signs during the campaign that "things are not going to move with the integrity and honesty we expected."
Complex rules
Several party leaders worry that the large number of candidates and complex election rules could create special problems.
Lists that do not achieve a minimum amount of votes — the actual number will depend on the number of votes cast — will not qualify to send a representative to the provincial legislature. Bahaa al-Araji, a Shiite legislator who is overseeing two lists, estimates that 1 million Iraqis will not see any of the candidates they vote for get a legislative seat.
That could result in some unrest, al-Araji said. "After the election, it could be a very dark time in Iraq."
The elections could also be a boost for al-Maliki if his candidates perform well. Al-Araji and other Iraqi politicians have voiced concerns that al-Maliki is accumulating too much power and using it to sideline his political rivals in places such as the Interior Ministry, which runs Iraq's security forces.
Supporters for al-Maliki reject such worries.
"Prime Minister al-Maliki is not sectarian," said Abbas al-Bayati, a parliament member aligned with al-Maliki. "His list will do well, because the people want security."