The pursuit of economic problems was at the forefront of the Iraqi people’s demands in the elections
“Ardeshir Peshang” in an interview with IRNA political reporter on Friday, referring to the low turnout in the Iraqi parliamentary elections, said: The previous one has practically disappointed the people and reduced their desire to run in the elections.
The researcher on West Asian issues added: “Iraq’s political tensions and disputes are beyond normal and have caused the Iraqi people to consider these tensions as a power struggle of some elites and officials.” Corruption and personal and partisan use of public resources have also increased public dissatisfaction and reduced participation.
Peshang cited the outbreak of coronavirus as another factor in reducing the turnout of Iraqis in the parliamentary elections, saying: “Although the outbreak of coronavirus can not be considered a major factor in reducing turnout, the presence of coronavirus, among other factors, went hand in hand to only 41% Be present at the ballot box.
Regarding the political arrangement of parties and coalitions in the Iraqi parliamentary elections, he said: “167 parties and dozens of different coalitions were present during this election period and we witnessed a strong and thought-provoking presence of independent candidates.”
The Iraqi affairs expert added: “In terms of identity, the three main groups of Sunni Arabs, Shiites and Kurds have formed different coalitions. Of course, each of these identity groups has had and still has very hard and serious competition within itself. Attention to the change of the electoral mechanism had a serious and effective presence, and as a result, the electoral and political diversity in the fifth election period was more than in any other period.
Referring to the direct impact of identities on electoral tastes, he noted: Shiite parties vote in the geography in which Shiites are present, and other identities follow a similar trend, but in places such as Kirkuk, which has overlapping identities, each of these identities voted for their parties. The composition and outcome of votes are largely influenced by the issue of identity.
Ayatollah Sistani did not support any political group in the election
Referring to the statement of the Shiite authority on the Iraqi elections, Peshang said: “Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Sistani had implicitly asked the people to participate in the elections to determine their own destiny, but as in previous periods, he did not support any political group.”
The researcher on West Asian issues added: “The authority in Iraq is beyond competition and group and political issues. Therefore, the authority in Iraq, especially Ayatollah Sistani, has a special place and respect not only among Shiites but also among Sunnis and Kurds. Iraq and the political leaders have a good and seasonal view of them.
Women make up 25 percent of Iraq’s electoral seats
Peshang added: out of 3,249 candidates running in the Iraqi parliamentary elections, 950 are women. In this election, women usually hold 25 percent of the seats, and at least 83 seats should go to women. In this year’s election, Iraq was divided into 83 different constituencies, with three to five women running in each constituency. In each constituency, a woman had to run for parliament, which, as the results show, won a landslide victory and won at least 97 seats.
The West Asian expert called the Iraqi elections very vital and fundamental, saying that the Iraqi political system is federal and parliamentary, and in parliamentary elections, political power is divided. That is why the political life of Iraq is affected by this election, because the parliamentary majority faction appoints the Prime Minister as the most important executive director of the country and the Commander-in-Chief.
Peshang described the parliamentary elections as the key political event in Iraq and said: “Although the elections themselves could not be resolved due to numerous structural problems and various conflicts, these elections in the relative sense of the word express the collective will of the Iraqi people.”
He said the most important demand of the Iraqi people in this round of elections was the efficiency of the government to provide services, adding: “Iraq is facing a weak industrial and economic infrastructure after the crippling US sanctions in the 1990s and 18 years after the fall of the Ba’athist regime.” It suffers from problems such as the lack of 24-hour electricity, adequate drinking water and oil and gas refueling, and even the Iraqi capital does not have 24-hour electricity, and people are forced to supply their electricity privately and at a high cost.
The Iraqi affairs expert added: “The main demands of the Iraqi people are economic and professional demands, and political demands are in the second stage.” The fight against rampant corruption is one of the serious debates that became an important issue in the October 2019 protests, and the Sadr faction entered the elections with this slogan and won an important part of the vote.
Muqtada al-Sadr won the most seats in parliament
Peshang said that the most important issue in the Iraqi parliamentary elections was the victory of Muqtada al-Sadr, a Shiite-influenced cleric, and said: He won a seat in the second round.
The international affairs expert noted: The second current was Mohammad Halaboussi, who has won 38 seats so far, and the current government of Nouri al-Maliki has won 38 seats.
Explaining why the coalition led by Muqtada al-Sadr won, he said: “Part of Sadr’s victory is related to following the demands of the Iraqi protesters and the other part is due to the 41% and lower turnout in the parliamentary elections because traditional voters and supporters of Sadr have stable votes. Turnout is low, the number of seats in this movement increases and he wins this round of elections.
Peshang added: “Sunnis were able to get significant votes in this period through a coalition led by Muhammad al-Halbousi (Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament) after a long time.” In Iraqi Kurdistan, the Kurdistan Democratic Party, led by Massoud Barzani, managed to maintain its position as the region’s leading party and even increased its number of seats from 25 to 32.
He added: “In the Kurdistan region, there is an important point about the Goran movement, which was previously considered the third party in Kurdistan.” This current won 5 seats in the previous elections, but did not even win a single seat in this round of elections. The Patriotic Union Party, led by the Taleban’s sons, also lost one seat, from 18 to 17 seats.
Peshang added: “The arrangement of votes in Iraq is such that the Sadr faction is expected to have a higher chance of forming a majority faction. However, it should be said that according to the procedure that took place in 2010, the majority faction can be formed by another group.” Thus, the formation of a majority faction by the Sadr faction is possible, but at the same time, this group has a better chance of forming a coalition government and government than other parties and rivals, and is likely to have 165 seats in the coalition with another Shiite and Sunni faction or with the Kurds. Necessary to form a government.
According to IRNAThe announcement of the preliminary results of the 18th of October parliamentary elections in Iraq has provoked a wave of criticism from the country’s political groups, so that the day after the elections, the media reported a meeting between a number of political leaders to discuss the election and its results .
The “Shiite Coordination Framework” group in Iraq issued a statement protesting the election results, saying it would “take measures to prevent voting with voters” and “protest the announced results.” “And he will complain.”
However, political controversy is expected to escalate in the coming days, along with lobbying and consultations to form a top parliamentary faction to form a new government in Iraq, as a member of the Iraqi High Electoral Commission’s media office told the Euphrates News website yesterday. He said the results of last Sunday’s Iraqi parliamentary elections were expected to be “sweeping”.
The Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) has previously announced that the manual counting of ballots will be carried out in the presence of international observers, representatives of political parties and groups, and members of the media.
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