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Iraq set for political fight one month after vote

By Deborah Haynes

Washington and London hope Iraqi leaders will set up a broad-based coalition government to help undermine Sunni support for the insurgency

IRAQ geared up for a political fight to create a new government, with Shia leaders saying they should call the shots while Sunni Arabs and Kurds feel the power should be shared.

A month after the general election, political parties are still waiting for the results and are jockeying for position ahead of the start of serious bargaining on the make-up of the country’s first full-term government since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. Initial indications showed that Iraq’s Shia majority came out on top in the December 15 vote but final results - due in the coming days - have been delayed by a probe into complaints by Sunni-backed and secular parties of ballot-rigging.

Eager to flex his political muscle, Abdel Aziz al-Hakim, head of the United Iraqi Alliance (UIA), the top Shia-backed coalition, said the new government should reflect election results rather than an undemocratic consensus between parties.

A consensus-based government “signifies the end of democracy, the end of giving power to the majority and of the elections”, Hakim told the publicly-funded Al-Sabah newspaper.

Hakim indicated the minority Sunni Arabs and Kurds would be invited to take part in the new administration, but only on the terms of the winning Shia coalition.

As a result, he said, the country would also enjoy a viable opposition - crucial in a democracy.

US and British officials have repeatedly warned Iraq’s political parties that in a democratic election there are winners and losers.

At the same time, Washington and London hope Iraqi leaders set up a broad-based coalition government to help undermine Sunni support for the insurgency.

With a lower portion of the vote, Sunni and Kurdish parties are also eager to form a government based on consensus to represent Iraq’s rich ethnic mix.

Outgoing President Jalal Talabani said recently all sides agreed “to have a government of national unity”, but acknowledged “the devil is in the details”.

Nothing will be decided, however, until final results are released following the initial assessment of an independent team of foreign monitors.

The Canada-backed International Mission for Iraqi Elections has been looking at a raft of issues including the fraud complaints and how Iraq’s electoral commission handled them.

It is set to announce preliminary findings on Sunday. “The initial report will include the direction of the assessment and initial observations,” said Mazen Chouaib, director of field operations for the mission, adding that a more detailed final report would be made public about five days later. Abdul Hussein al-Hindawi of the Iraqi electoral commission reiterated Saturday that the commission will wait for the monitors’ initial findings before announcing the result of its own inquiry into the fraud complaints.

It will then reveal the final uncertified election outcome. Certified results will be released a few days later after a period for appeals. US and British officials hope the creation of a permanent government will bring stability to the country and speed up the withdrawal of foreign troops. afp

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