BAGHDAD, 3 December 2004 — With less than two months to Iraq elections, negotiations on political alliances have increased — yet the response among many potential voters has been cool, particularly Sunnis.
In Baghdad, both Sunnis and Shiites in Baghdad appear disenchanted over the prospect of elections producing any results that they believe could affect their daily lives.
“Why vote? These candidates will not provide the security and services we need,” says a Shiite employee at the Culture Ministry.
So far, 227 parties and independent candidates have registered for the elections scheduled for Jan. 30 to produce a 275-member assembly, including 25 women.
Under Iraq’s election laws, voters will cast ballots for one of the various electoral lists. A party will gain seats based on the percentage of votes it receives.
On Wednesday, the two main Kurdish parties signed an agreement to be part of a unified list that includes the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) in addition to smaller Kurdish parties.
The Kurds had originally wanted to postpone elections to have more time consolidating power in the disputed oil-rich city of Kirkuk by bringing in more supporters into the city.
However, the country’s administrative law, which stipulates elections be held no later than Jan. 31, guarantees them autonomy in the North and a veto on the final draft of the constitution.
The Kurdish concern is mainly that a Shiite majority could undermine their autonomy.
The Shiites, who comprise 60 percent of the population, insist on elections as scheduled, in order that they finally take a decisive role in government after decades of oppression.
Led by Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, the Shiites are working on a unified list that includes most Shiite parties as well as some Sunni and Kurdish candidates.
Negotiations are still under way, with seemingly minor differences observed. The list is expected to be announced in a few days.
However, enthusiasm for elections is apparent only among Shiites in the South, and Kurds. Sistani has issued a fatwa, or religious ruling, saying it is the duty of every Iraqi to participate in elections.
The Kurds are similarly active with many expected to go to polls despite complaints that PUK leader Jalal Talabani and KDP leader Massoud Barzani overrode the democratic process by joining forces, leaving little chance for independent candidates.
“The (unified Kurdish) list is so strong it makes no difference whether I vote or not,” says one PUK member in Irbil.
In Kirkuk, Turkoman and Arab parties are making alliances to balance what they regard as the threat of Kurdish influence in the city.
The Sunnis meanwhile appear lost in the middle. Observers believe the proportional voting system is expected to amplify the Shiite and Kurdish votes — leaving Sunnis severely marginalized.
Last week, a number of prominent Sunni groups called for the elections to be postponed by six months, citing security and administrative concerns.
The Association of Muslim Scholars has called for a boycott of the elections, and a low turnout is expected in Sunni cities west and north of Baghdad, and in the northern city of Mosul.
