Mohamed Al-Anwar reports from Baghdad on who gets what in the new government Despite continuing violence that claimed dozens of lives, not least during the religious feast of Ashura, the political process to select candidates for key posts in the Iraqi state following the elections held on 30 January has begun. While the picture is not yet clear, the most likely front-runners are Jalal Talibani (leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan) as president; Iyad Allawi as vice-president; Ibrahim Al-Jaafari (leader of Al-Daawa Party) as prime minister; Ghazi Al-Yawar as speaker of the National Assembly and Ibrahim Saleh as deputy prime minister. Five ministers from the last cabinet are likely to stay on, including Foreign Minister Hochiar Zibari. The government and the National Assembly may only be serving till the end of 2005 but their task is momentous. It is during this period that the country's permanent constitution must be written. The Sunni boycott of the elections, and the fact that many Iraqis doubt the elections' legitimacy, complicate an already precarious scene. The Kurds have done well so far, skillfully using the controversy over the elections in their favour. The Shias have also made clear gains. Only the Sunnis have been left out. The main question now is what form of power sharing will emerge. It is a difficult question to answer given that those who have emerged as winners are likely to be reluctant to give away their gains. The Sunnis, who traditionally ran the country, are far from happy with the way things have turned out. They have contested the outcome of the elections, pointing out that 42 per cent of Iraqis did not vote. They maintain that security was precarious and irregularities occurred. But with the political wheels already in motion, the Sunnis have no option but to deal with the new government and are likely to participate in the drafting of the new constitution. A meeting was held recently in Hotel Babel, in downtown Baghdad, with key Sunni leaders in attendance. Over 200 Sunni figures from across the political spectrum came to the meeting from various governorates (including Nineveh, Diyala, Kirkuk, Al- Anbar and Salaheddin) to voice Sunni demands. The Sunnis may have stayed away from the elections but this does not mean they do not wish to be part of political process. "We have to be real partners in the political process and in the writing of the new constitution," said Adnan Al- Deleimi, head of the Sunni Endowments Office. The Sunnis may be willing to return back to the political arena but they will face an unfamiliar political landscape when they do. If anything, this is an added motivation to all Sunnis, secular as well as the religiously-inclined, to stand united. Some secular Sunnis did take part in the elections but gained little more than a handful of votes. Adnan Pachachi, leader of the Independent Democrats, failed to secure a single seat in the National Assembly. The Sunnis, therefore, have little option beyond standing together as they try to seek a role in Iraq's political scene. They may even have to use Clause C of Article 60 of the law of the administration of the state according to which any constitutional arrangement rejected by three governorates will have to be abandoned. It remains to be seen if the Sunnis will be able to regain the political ground they forfeited in January's elections.
