Iraq Press Roundup

The political map in Iraq

The new political map in Iraq was clearly drawn as the Independent High Electoral Commission of Iraq announced the results of the elections Thursday afternoon, Sot al-Iraq reported Friday.

The results came out as anticipated, with the State of Law coalition of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki topping the list in nine provinces, including Baghdad.

The State of Law bloc won roughly 38 percent of the vote in Baghdad, faring slightly better with around 37 percent in Basra. Meanwhile, the slate won major concessions in Babil, Muthanna and Wassit, though it finished lower in Karbala and Salah ad-Din.

Al-Mehrab Martyr List, aligned with the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council of Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, was trounced at the polls, scoring in the single digits in Baghdad, though it placed better in Najaf and some of the other southern provinces.

Candidates running on slates supporting by the Awakening Councils, consisting mostly of Sunni tribal leaders, took about 17 percent of the vote in Anbar province, while the Sunni Iraq Accordance Front took 21 percent of the vote in the volatile Diyala province but finished low in Baghdad with around 2 percent of the vote tally.

Meanwhile, Sadrist candidates running with the Independent Free Movement took around 10 percent of the ballots in Baghdad province but finished in the margins further south, scoring just 5 percent in Basra. The Iraqi List of the secular former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi scored poorly in several provinces, though it later emerged the party was contesting the vote tally.

The Iraqi National Project of secular lawmaker Salih Mutlag, meanwhile, positioned itself moderately well in Baghdad, Diyala, Salah ad-Din and Anbar provinces.

Finally, former Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari's National Reform Movement finished near the bottom in Najaf but managed to edge out rival parties in Maysan and Babel. Other smaller parties fared poorly in the elections, though the newly formed al-Hadbaa list won a resounding victory in Ninawa province.

Sadrists ask to keep results in place

Members of the Sadrist Movement of radical cleric Moqtada Sadr asked that the clerical leadership in Najaf not influence the results of the elections, Shabab al-Iraq reported Friday.

The statements came as it emerged that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his State of Law coalition won big in the Saturday provincial elections. Maliki and his Dawa Party have strong ties to the clerical leadership in the holy city.

Maliki had paid a visit to the revered Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani Wednesday, prompting some to raise allegations the premier was putting pressure on the clerical elite to issue a fatwa, or religious edict, calling on major parties to align with his State of Law coalition.

The Sadrists, through their press offices, called on the clerical leaders to keep to their prior pledge to remain neutral in the elections and not side with one party over the other.

They also asked in a statement that the clerics in Najaf respect the will of the voting public, saying any interference in the election results would harm the democratic process in Iraq.

Demands to honor council quotas for women

The Electoral Committee in the Iraqi Parliament demanded a quota set for a 25 percent representation for female candidates be honored, al-Sabaah reported Friday.

Maysoon al-Damalouji, a secular Sunni lawmaker, said the high number of female candidates running for provincial council seats, about 4,000, was a positive sign. It should show a willingness on the part of Iraqi women to take part in the political process in an effort to rebuild the war-torn country.

Damalouji, however, asked that a provision in the provincial election law that set aside 25 percent of the seats be honored.

It was the responsibility of the Independent High Electoral Commission of Iraq, she said, to hold to its commitment in order to sanctify the results of the elections.

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(Edited by Daniel Graeber)