In Iraq, a fragmented political landscape and massive abstention in legislative elections

In a fragmented political landscape and faced with a demobilized electorate, victory was acquired for Moqtada Al-Sadr in the legislative elections, Sunday, October 10, in Iraq. In the underprivileged districts of Baghdad and the deprived cities of the Shiite South, the offices of the Sadrist current and its militia Saraya Al-Salam (“peace companies”) had tirelessly mobilized their supporters. A disciplined base of millions of people loyal to the populist Shiite leader, who has built a political stature in the wake of his revered father, Ayatollah Mohammed Sadeq Al-Sadr (1943-1999), and the fight against it American occupation after 2003, until it imposed itself as the first force in Parliament, in 2018. Without waiting for the publication of the final results, Moqtada Al-Sadr declared himself the winner of the poll on Monday evening.

According to preliminary results, the Sadrist current sees its position in Parliament strengthened. Its executives are already claiming 73 seats out of 329, against 54 in 2018, far ahead of other political forces, in particular the Shiite parties, which dictate the formation of all governments since the fall of Saddam Hussein. An official of the electoral commission confirmed to Agence France-Presse that the Sadrist current was ” on your mind “. The final results will specify the distribution of seats in the future Assembly, but several trends are already emerging.

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In the Shiite camp, the rule of law coalition of former Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki (2006-2014) is making a comeback – with at least 37 seats, according to its officials – while the Al coalition -Fatah (“victory”) bringing together militia parties close to Iran, which had 48 deputies in the outgoing Assembly, recorded a serious setback. The Speaker of Parliament, Mohammed Al-Halboussi, wins a landslide victory in the Sunni camp against the coalition led by his rival Khamis Al-Khanjar. The Democratic Party of Kurdistan (PDK) of the Barzani clan remains the main force of the Kurdish camp, ahead of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) of the Talabani clan. The small New Generation party took advantage of the disaffection with the two party-clans, winning a few seats.

The breakthrough of the parties resulting from the “October revolution”

The record abstention – only 41% of the 22 million registered voters turned out to vote and 34% of Iraqis of voting age – benefited traditional parties. Many are those, especially among young people and in the capital Baghdad, who did not come, convinced that the ballot was acquired by the parties in power and would have no impact on the improvement of their living conditions. Several parties that emerged from the 2019 “October Revolution”, which had expressed a generalized dissatisfaction within the Shiite majority against a system dominated by Islamist parties supported by Iran and plagued by corruption, boycotted the ballot. However, those who played the game of participation achieved a surprise breakthrough, benefiting from a new electoral law more favorable to local candidates and independents.

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