Iraq elections: Al-Halbousi surprises Al-Maliki in Baghdad, and “Al-Taram” wins seats in the south
On Tuesday, Iraq announced the results of the local council elections after more than 90 percent of the total votes had been counted, and the “Taqaddum” party, led by dismissed Parliament Speaker Muhammad al-Halbousi, was dissolved first in Baghdad, followed by the “State of Law” coalition led by Nouri al-Maliki.
The Election Commission said, during a press conference that was one hour late than expected, that the final results will be announced after the counting of about 6 percent of the ballot boxes is completed.
Whatever the case, the announced results will only change to a limited extent after the final count and resolution of complaints and appeals, while these results reflect the votes of more than 6 million Iraqi voters, out of 23 million entitled to vote.
Voters’ indifference to the voting process is increasing, especially since most of them are young people who feel that they have not seen the benefits of Iraq’s enormous oil wealth, a large portion of which was misdirected or stolen in a country that is classified among the most corrupt countries in the world.
The vote is seen as a test of Iraqi democracy, ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for 2025, which will determine the balance of power in a country where groups closely linked to Iran have made gains on both the political and economic arenas in the past few years.
According to the Commission, the “Taqaddum” party led by Al-Halbousi won first place in Baghdad with more than 132,000 votes, ahead of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s coalition, which won about 130,000 votes.
But Al-Halbousi’s victory, although it will come as a surprise to the “coordination framework” forces, will still carry important political symbolism. Because the Shiite forces can form a large coalition to confront him and form a majority in the local council.
Also in Anbar, Al-Halbousi came first after winning more than 154,000 votes, outperforming the rest of the alliances, while the “Anbar is Our Identity” alliance came second with 70,000 votes.
Counting the votes won by Al-Halbousi, it is possible to view him as one of the political surprises brought about by the election results, after he won about half a million votes from Iraqi voters.
Al-Halbousi won in Diyala Governorate (east) by about 75,000 votes, in Salah al-Din Governorate (north of Baghdad) by more than 48,000 votes, and in Nineveh Governorate by about 71,000 votes.
An electoral employee extracts a tape of the preliminary results from a vote box in Baghdad, November 18 (AFP)
Who won Basra?
In Basra, the Tasmeem coalition led by the current governor, Asaad Al-Eidani, outperformed its closest competitor in the “coordination framework.” Al-Eidani won more than 26,000 votes, while the “Nabni” coalition, which includes “Asaib Ahl al-Haq,” achieved only half of this number.
However, the “Nabni” coalition won in the cities of Nasiriyah, Maysan, and Babylon, but there is a rapprochement with competing coalitions, most notably the “State of Law” coalition, and it is expected that resolving the negotiations on forming local governments there will be delayed until an unknown time.
Members of the “coordination framework” are competing on several lists, as former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki formed his own list, while other groups are running on another list, but they said that they will govern together after the elections.
In Mosul, the resigned governor, Najm al-Jubouri, came first after winning more than 141,000 votes, ahead of the Al-Halbousi Party and the Kurdistan Democratic Party.
Employees close an electoral box before transporting it to the Commission’s headquarters in Baghdad, November 18 (AFP)
What about Kirkuk?
In Kirkuk, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, led by Bafel Talabani, outperformed its rival, the Kurdistan Democratic Party, led by Masoud Barzani, while Arab lists obtained significant numbers that may constitute half of the local council, especially after an Arab Christian won a seat within the “quota.”
Observers are closely following the oil city of Kirkuk, where elections are being held for the first time since 2005, as tensions between ethnic groups have recently escalated and turned into violence, especially between Kurds, Arabs and Turkmen.
The last local elections were held in 2013, and their holding has been postponed since then due to the war against ISIS militants who controlled large parts of Iraq, but they were ultimately defeated.
Security in the country has gradually improved since then, and the public focus has shifted to crumbling government services, high unemployment and rampant corruption, issues that were at the heart of the massive 2019 protests that were violently suppressed by security forces.
Security men guard a polling station while employees were counting voters’ votes in Baghdad (AFP)
Red and yellow complaints
Regarding complaints, Jumana Al-Ghalai, spokeswoman for the Commission, confirmed in statements to local media that the number of complaints for special voting reached 54 complaints, and 15 complaints for general voting. She explained that complaints classified as yellow “that do not affect the election results and are rejected.” Either because it is without evidence or in violation of formal or substantive conditions.” The number of complaints reached 43. She stated that the number of complaints classified as green, which “are due to violations committed either by the polling officer or by the agent of the political entity or the security services,” amounted to 20 complaints, and they also do not affect the election results, “and require investigation and accountability for the negligent,” according to her description. She added that there are six other complaints under study.
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2023-12-19 18:36:14
