- Title: IRAQ: POLITICS - Campaigning begins for Iraq's general election
- Date: 8th April 2014
- Summary: BAGHDAD, IRAQ, (RECENT) (REUTERS) POSTERS OF CANDIDATES IN APRIL 30 PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN SQUARE IN CENTRAL BAGHDAD POSTER FEATURING FORMER PRIME MINISTER IBRAHIM AL-JAAFARI WORKERS UNLOADING LARGE POSTER OF CANDIDATE FROM PICK UP TRUCK ELECTION POSTERS IN SQUARE WORKER FIXING LARGE BILLBOARD OF CANDIDATE PEOPLE OUTSIDE VOTERS REGISTRATION CENTRE IN BAGHDAD'S KARRA
- Embargoed: 23rd April 2014 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Iraq
- Country: Iraq
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA39GUYZJOWX6JECO0N3INZIJRS
- Story Text: Candidates have started campaigning ahead of Iraq's general election, the first elections since the withdrawal of American forces in late 2011.
The elections, a key test for the country's fledgling democracy will take place against a backdrop of rising violence and fighting in western Anbar province to expel al Qaeda linked groups.
In an embarrassing setback for a state that has around a million men under arms, the al Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and its tribal allies overran Falluja and parts of the nearby city Ramadi on January 1.
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, seeking a third term in a parliamentary election in April, deployed troops and tanks around the city of 300,000 and funnelled weapons to anti-Qaeda tribesmen, but has ruled out a full-scale military assault.
More than 9000 candidates and 107 coalitions will compete for the 328-seat parliament in the polls, in which Iraqis will select party lists rather than individual candidates.
Across Baghdad, workers scrubbed walls to make way for new posters, some featuring faces of well-known Iraqi politicians including Prime Minister al-Maliki urging supporters to elect their party's candidates.
But plastered on the capital's walls are also the faces of new politicians who hope to be elected to bring change to the country.
Election officials just hope they can run a safe and transparent vote, a difficult task with violence building as insurgents try to disrupt the poll.
With al Qaeda again rampant, violence has hit a five-year high, minority Sunnis are embittered and Kurds are restive. And despite plentiful oil income, jobs and basic services remain scarce, 11 years after U.S.-led forces toppled Saddam Hussein.
But Iraqis are optimistic about the future even though the current security situation weighs on their minds.
"The first stage is to receive the voter ID card in order to take part after that in the change process that will take place, God willing. We hope that new faces will replace the current ones. We're tired of seeing the same faces for eight years. They have done nothing for us. We hope for a change, God willing," said Maath Mussab , a resident of Baghdad's Karrada As the election date draws nearer, election officials have reported a noticeable increase in the numbers of people who are coming to registration centres all over the country to receive the newly computerised voter identification cards. Officials hope the new cards will prevent fraud and voters from voting multiple times.
Yes despite the measures being put in place, some Iraqis are sceptical about the upcoming elections.
"I do not think that there will be a change because the situation will remain the same as all the political parties or political blocs lack a clear platform. They are just sectarian parties that work for their own interest," said Baghdad resident Iyad Jabbar.
The United Nations described the election campaign as "decisive", urging the Iraq people to elect those whom they think that they will serve them better.
"It is obviously going to be a very decisive election campaign. The political parties are taking it very seriously and I trust the Iraqi people will make the best judgement based on platforms of the various political entities and on the proposals they make for the future,'' said UN representative to Iraq, Nickolay Mladenov.
Some of the political blocs, mainly Sunni parties have called for the delay of voting in Anbar province because of the fighting between al Qaeda and Iraqi forces. But the UN said that there is no reason for delays as measures have been put in place for internally displaced people to vote.
"Because of the current situation in Falluja, IHEC has decided that voting inside the city will not be possible, but those residents of the city who wish to vote will have that opportunity if they come out of the city in various other locations within the province and elsewhere," Mladenov added.
Security forces have been fighting insurgents from the al Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Anbar's two main cities - Falluja and Ramadi - since January after the arrest of a Sunni lawmaker and the clearing of an anti-government protest camp prompted a tribal revolt and allowed ISIL to set up fighting positions in the cities.
Violence has escalated in the last 12 months - ISIL has led a devastating campaign of suicide bombings since mid-2013 - and Maliki said in a mid-February speech that Saudi Arabia and Qatar were offering money to recruit fighters in Falluja.
In the southern city of Basra, campaigning began in earnest as colourful posters of candidates filled the streets and election officials in the city said registration centres have witnessed a large turnout of people coming to collect their ID cards.
Basra citizen Mussa Abdul Hussein is one of those people.
"Those who came after the fall of Saddam until now have done nothing. And each time we changed them they did nothing, so people have refrained from taking part in elections and decided not to go to vote again. However, people are hoping for a change and they encourage each other to go and vote even the Marjiaya (religious authority) has supported the people and urged them to vote and change the current faces in the hope that new faces can come and change the situation for the better, God willing," said Abdul Hussein.
"I will go and vote because I want to vote for the best, the one who can offer me services for four years. We usually vote, but we've got only conflicts and nothing else. We hope that those who will come, whether they are from the old faces or the new ones will bring better things for us and we hope that the change will be for the better, God willing," added Wael Hassan who is also from the Iraqi oil-hub of Basra.
With only a matter of weeks away until Iraqis head to the poll voters may well hand a third term to Maliki - a hard bitten political operator who emerged from obscurity to become prime minister nearly eight years ago - or at least give him a headstart in post-election wrangling for the job.
The posters in the streets act as a constant reminder of the upcoming elections, but whatever the result, Iraqis hope the old and new faces will be able to bring about some kind of positive change to their country. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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