Iraq Press Roundup

State of Law list wins in major provinces

The final results of the Iraqi provincial elections show the State of Law slate backed by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki topped the list in 10 provinces, al-Sabaah al-Jadeed reported Friday.

The Independent High Electoral Commission of Iraq announced the official results in a news conference Thursday, saying they would sanction the final tally in three days if no party contested the seat allocations.

The Shiite State of Law slate won in Baghdad, Basra, Najaf, Babil, Muthanna, Maysan, Dhi Qar, Qadisiyah, Wasit and tied with a rival slate, Hope of Rafidain, in Karbala. Preliminary results from Feb. 5 showed House of Rafidain winning Karbala.

Meanwhile, the al-Mehrab Martyr list of the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council scored poorly in several provinces, taking only three seats in Baghdad, four in Karbala and five in Basra. It tied with Maliki's slate in Maysan, however.

In the Sunni province of Anbar, the tribal Awakening Councils secured a victory over the Iraqi Islamic Party. Disputes over the preliminary results brought Anbar to the brink of conflict.

Independents backed by the Sadrist Movement of radical cleric Moqtada Sadr showed a moderately strong presence in several provinces, taking five seats in Baghdad, six in Najaf and seven in Dhi Qar.

IHEC said women filled the 25 percent quota established under the provincial elections law, with religious minority groups allocated seats on the provincial councils as well.

Al-Hadbaa would collaborate with all slates

Athil al-Najefi with the Sunni al-Hadbaa list in Ninawa said his party would collaborate with all slates despite its resounding victory in the northern province, al-Iraq lil-Kul reported Friday.

Official election results released Thursday show the al-Hadbaa list took more than half, 19 of 37, of the provincial council seats in Ninawa. The Kurdish Ninawa Brotherhood list scored 12, with the Sunni Iraqi Islamic Party securing three seats on the council. Minority religious groups were allocated one seat each.

Najefi said his party had expected to take more votes than announced in the Thursday results but added that al-Hadbaa would work hand-in-hand with all members of the provincial council in order to serve the people of Ninawa.

He called for the other parties to abandon their sectarian and ethnic positions to work toward a brighter future in the provincial capital, Mosul, and elsewhere in the province.

The dispute between Baghdad and Erbil

Mahmoud Othman with the Kurdistan Alliance warned of heightened tensions between the central government in Baghdad and the Kurdish provincial government, Addustour reported Friday.

The independent newspaper noted the disputes between the Kurdistan Regional Government and Baghdad are in part due to disagreements over natural resources.

The Kurdish leader said the disputes culminated to the point that neither side was willing to talk to the other, causing harm to the broader political processes in Iraq.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, however, is expected to lead a delegation to the Kurdish capital, Erbil, in the coming days, prompting Othman to express his hope the visit would ease some of the regional tensions.

An alliance with Shiite leaders and members of the two Kurdish parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, is unlikely, however, because of internal disputes between each of the groups.

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(Edited by Daniel Graeber)