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Abadi's Fortunes in Iraqi Elections up in Face of Iran-Backed Rivals

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Abadi's Fortunes in Iraqi Elections up in Face of Iran-Backed Rivals UK £2 www.thearabweekly.com Issue 155, Year 4 May 6, 2018 EU €2.50 The temptation of ‘illiberal politics’ Palestinian- Israeli conflict, 70 years on Page 5 Page 9 Abadi’s fortunes in Iraqi elections up in face of Iran-backed rivals Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani asked voters not to cast their ballots for politicians “who are corrupt and those who have failed” in their posts. Mamoon Alabbasi candidates, mainly those who held voters to vote for non-Shia candi- official positions,” said Abadi in an dates, although it may be too soon indirect reference to Maliki. to expect that to become a trend. London Sistani said he was keeping an In a bid to distance themselves “equal distance” from all candidates from Sistani’s criticism of corrupt he fortunes of Iraqi Prime and warned against using his name politicians, many electoral lists, in- Minister Haider al-Abadi “or any other name that has a spe- cluding Maliki’s, praised the speech in the upcoming elections cial place in the hearts of Iraqis to of Iraq’s top cleric. T may have increased after make electoral gains.” “According to observers, all the the country’s top Shia cleric, Grand That comment was understood political lists are trying to inter- Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, advised to be a reference to using the fight pret the speech by suggesting that voters to refrain from casting bal- against ISIS by the Popular Mobi- it does not go against their politi- lots for politicians “who are corrupt lisation Forces (PMF) for election cal directions,” said Ibrahim Saleh, and those who have failed” in their purposes. The Conquest Alliance, France 24 Arabic correspondent in posts. a list that includes top militia lead- Baghdad. Sistani’s reference was widely un- ers and presents itself as the voice “The known and clear aim for this derstood to be directed at, among of the PMF, is considered to be the is to avoid losing votes, because in others, former Prime Minister Nuri party to which Sistani was referring. the event that Iraqi voters imple- al-Maliki. Sistani’s speech is likely to have ment all that has been mentioned in Maliki, who heads the State of irked both the Conquest Alliance, the speech then maybe only a few Law coalition and is campaigning to led by Hadi al-Amiri, and Maliki’s candidates and electoral lists would return to power in the May 12 elec- State of Law coalition. The two Shia be exempt (from criticism).” tions, has been scolded by critics as lists, which are staunchly backed by It may prove difficult to be sure of being responsible for losing a signifi- Iran, are Abadi’s most serious com- who is not corrupt in a country that cant part of the country to the Islam- petitors. is ranked the 12th most corrupt by ic State (ISIS) in 2014, primarily due Sistani’s views carry great weight Transparency International. Only to sectarian policies and corruption. among Iraq’s Shia voters and are of- 20% of candidates are newcomers, The collapse of the Iraqi Army in ten treated with public respect by Iraq’s Independent High Electoral front of ISIS’s advance in Mosul and members of other communities. His Commission said. elsewhere at the time was partly at- latest speech seems to give Abadi Iraqi commentator Ghalib al- tributed to it having some 50,000 a better standing in the face of his Shahbandar said he expected “ghost soldiers” who received sala- Iran-backed rivals. a “partial” implementation of ries but were not physically present Ahead of Sistani’s speech, Abadi Sistani’s recommendations by vot- to defend the country. vowed to investigate corruption al- ers and politicians but it would have Abadi is running an anti-corrup- legations within the PMF after the wider repercussions in future elec- tion election campaign that boasts assassination of Qassim al-Zubaidi, tions. of defeating ISIS and preserving the who oversaw the finances in the mi- “We expect [its effect on the] po- country’s territorial integrity. He litia’s umbrella group. litical process to be accumulative,” named his list the Victory Alliance. Sistani called on voters to support he told Alhurra Iraq TV. (AFP) The Iraqi prime minister wel- candidates they think have “the comed Sistani’s speech. “We note ability to implement a realistic pro- Mamoon Alabbasi is Deputy in particular (Sistani’s) call for the gramme” to resolve the country’s Managing Editor and Online Editor Better odds. widest participation in the elec- crises and not cast ballots based on of The Arab Weekly. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi talks during a campaign tion and making the correct choice tribal or sectarian affiliations. rally in Najaf, on May 3. after reviewing the past record of This opens the door for Shia P2-3,6 ISIS threat Regional tensions do not preclude in North and Jewish festival in Tunisia’s Djerba West Africa Page 13 Simon Speakman Cordall est religion in our country and the country that attendants said they Ghriba is very important,” Tunisian could recall. Approximately 30 del- Minister of Tourism Salma Elloumi egates from as far as Moscow and Djerba Rekik said. “Tunisian Muslims and Luxembourg added weight to Tuni- Jews (have been) living together for sia’s efforts to ensure security was ore than 3,000 Jews, in- more than 2,000 years, so I think the maintained. cluding about 400 Israe- Ghriba is an occasion to be together. “I think it’s very good the confer- lis, made their way to the “Statistically, it’s not important ence has come here,” Tunisian Chief M Tunisian island of Djerba how many people come for the Ghri- Rabbi Haim Bitan said. “There are this year to celebrate the Jewish fes- ba, it’s a positive signal for the start- a lot of merits to receiving so many tival of Lag BaOmer. ing of the tourist season.” rabbis from all over the world.” The two days of festivities at El In 1948, about 100,000 Jews lived However, with the Muslim world Ghriba Synagogue, the oldest in Afri- in Tunisia, with extensive settle- marking 70 years since the Nakba ca, passed without incident, though ments on Djerba and along the Tu- and tensions between Israel and Iran security was heavy. nisian coastline. However, those increasing, security across Djerba Lag BaOmer has been celebrated numbers have dwindled to approxi- was tight. “It is very important the in Tunisia since Roman times. Pil- mately 1,500, the bulk of whom re- government supports the Ghriba,” grims travel to the island from Israel, side on Djerba. Bitan said. “It’s important for me the United States and Europe to pray, The European Council of Rabbis that the government provides secu- sing in Hebrew, light candles and met on the sidelines of the festival, rity the whole year round.” place votive eggs in a cave below the the first such gathering in a Muslim The festival takes place on the synagogue. 33rd day of the Omer, the 49 days As in previous years, the support Tunisian Minister that separate the Jewish festivals of (Reuters) of Tourism of the Tunisian government was Passover and Shavuot and one that is A call for peace. apparent throughout the festival. Salma Elloumi Rekik celebrated across the Jewish world. Leaders, including Tunisian Prime A Jewish woman prays at the Minister Youssef Chahed, visited “The Jewish religion is the Simon Speakman Cordall Ghriba Synagogue in Djerba, during Lag BaOmer. oldest religion in our country is Syria/Lebanon section editor on May 2. “The Jewish religion is the old- and the Ghriba is very important.” with The Arab Weekly. 2 May 6, 2018 Cover Story Iraqi Kurds appear more divided than ever ahead of elections Mamoon Alabbasi of Iraq’s Kurdistan region, which was called by the KDP-led KRG but branded illegal by Baghdad, the London rift between Kurdish politicians widened. urdish politicians appear Kurdish parties were unhappy more divided ahead of this with what they said was the KDP’s round of Iraq’s national hijacking of the referendum for K elections than in previous political gains. They grudgingly polls, amid reported voter apathy backed the referendum, which se- in areas under the control of the cured a majority of votes, but later Kurdistan Regional Government sided with the central government (KRG). for fear of being under the mercy of The KRG’s loss of disputed ar- what they saw as a corrupt and au- eas, notably Kirkuk, to the control thoritarian KDP. of central government means the The KDP accused its rivals, most Political cacophony. Vehicles drive under campaign posters ahead of Iraq’s parliamentary election in number of seats for Kurdish mem- notably the PUK, of betraying the Erbil, on April 15. (Reuters) bers of parliament in Baghdad will Kurdish cause by siding with Bagh- be reduced but the bigger challenge dad. is not their number but disunity. A united Kurdish bloc in parlia- in lists headed by Arabs inside [KRG] is more and more coming to ernment parties because of the ment seems unlikely, although the KRG region. The most promi- resemble the old [Ba’athist] Iraq, a undignified way [citizens] were three Kurdish parties — the CDJ, nent Arab Shia lists competing for one-party totalitarian state ruled treated during the protests,” Kurd- Unlike in previous Gorran and Komal — formed a coa- Kurdish voters are the Victory Al- by terror,” Hoshang Waziri, a Kurd- ish political scientist Shivan Fazil elections, Kurdish lition called Nishtiman for the elec- liance, headed by Prime Minister ish researcher, wrote in the New told Al Monitor website.
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