How prepared are Iraqis for the forthcoming election? Nermeen Al-Mufti seeks some answers Everyone in Iraq talks about the election -- that is the United States election. The Iraqi elections are due to be held at the end of January 2005 yet Iraqis know more about the US voting procedures and candidates than their own. They also know that Iraqi cities, such as Samaraa and Falluja, are being shelled with the endorsement of an Iraqi government that is intent on uprooting "terror" ahead of January 2005. The Iraqi media runs little on their national elections, apart from a few interviews with their independent electoral supervisory office and the occasional unhelpful rumour about candidates and their chances. In contrast, the clerics appear to be much more involved in the political process with some, such as Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, Iraq's prominent shi'a leader, going as far as to promise "an eternity in hell" for those who do not vote. One daily newspaper has published an editorial about the resignation of Farid Ayar, spokesman for the elections commission, stating that "his resignation was expected due to frequent intervention in the commission's work." In an interview with Al-Ahram Weekly on Sunday , Ayar denied that he had resigned. "This report was totally fabricated. For a while now I wanted to resign for personal reasons. There is no issue involved or pressure applied. Thinking of resigning does not mean resigning. My resignation is on hold right now. I will not tender my resignation and there are no pressures on my work or that of the commission." When asked if he expected that the election would actually take place, Ayar responded, "Certainly. On time and in a democratic and transparent manner. We still have 100 days till election time and the security situation is improving. God willing, the elections will be held across the entire country." Ayar also confirmed that the elections committee will not allow parties and groups advocating violence, associated with foreign sides, or engaged in ethnic strife, to participate in the election. Despite Ayar's assurances, the continuous military operations and threat to storm Falluja will likely motivate many Iraqis to boycott the elections. Khaled Al-Mueini, a member of the Independent National Union, said, "we wish to take part in the political process so long as it is fair and fully supervised by the United Nations. But with the continued military operations and shelling, it would be impossible for any patriotic force to participate in the political process." When asked if he would participate if a major offensive was carried out against Falluja he replied, "Correct. But I don't expect such an offensive to take place." Al- Mueini's opinion on the requirements of a fair and democratic election were "international supervision and a true and genuine intention to get out of the current ordeal." The Iraqi election law defines the state as a single electoral district, a stipulation Al-Mueini views as having both its positive and negative aspects. "It is good because it helps abolish sectarianism and ethnic divisions. And it is bad because we will not be able to ascertain what is happening in each area." Meanwhile, Al-Sistani's representative, Ahmed Al-Safi, told a Friday congregation in Karbala that Iraqis who fail to participate in the elections would be committing "high treason". He added that it would be "religiously sinful" not to vote and that those who decline to vote "will go to hell", although Al-Sistani's website does not confirm this point. However, Al-Safi is not the only Shia cleric to speak out for the elections. Another Shia cleric, Sheikh Mohamed Al-Yaqubi, has gone as far to state that "it is more important to participate in elections than to pray and fast." The Shia community is devising ways in which to participate in the election given the current security obstacles. Followers of Moqtada Al-Sadr believe that Iraqis living abroad have the right to vote. Faris Qasim, one of Al-Sadr's followers, said, "I am a Muslim Shia and I do not see anything more important than praying and fasting. I know that participating in the elections is a national duty and a step towards restoring stability to Iraq, but I cannot understand clerics who see the elections as a religious duty." The Sunni Hayat Ulamaa Al-Sunna Association, the leading Sunni gathering in Iraq, has declared participation in the election as dependent upon the stoppage of military operations in Falluja. Speaking at a news conference Mohamed Bashar Al-Feidi said, "if Falluja comes under a major offensive and if it continues to be shelled with planes and artillery, we will be committed, along with the other Iraqi ulamaa, to boycotting the elections. And we will consider the outcome of the elections null and void." Omar Al-Deleimi, a political analyst, believes that the call by the country's clerics to stop the shelling of cities should be taken seriously. "It is important to have elections, but it is more important for the elections to take place in a stable and secure climate and in the absence of occupation. How can one trust the outcome of elections carried out with US tanks deployed in our cities? The UN has to understand that the elections are important, but the life and security of Iraqis are even more important than the elections," Al- Deleimi stated. The Independent Democrats, led by Adnan Pachachi, were the first party to declare an electoral agenda. In a statement published by Al- Nahda, a newspaper controlled by Pachachi, the Independent Democrats claim that they seek to protect the country against dictatorship, build a democratic Iraq, restore national sovereignty and end the occupation. Soha Al-Azzawi, member of the Interim National Council and secretary of the elections committee, has announced that candidate registration will begin in early November. She added that the elections will be conducted in accordance with the law of the administration of the state, the election law, the law of the high commission for elections and the law of political parties. While the Kurds are holding on to Bremer's promise that the country's future president or prime minister will be Kurdish, the Turkoman are wondering if they should contest the elections independently or in alliance with other parties. Media reports predict that the strongest alliance will be that of the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the Al-Daawa Party, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the Democratic Party of Kurdistan and Al-Wafaq Party. This is the kind of electoral list that is likely to win unopposed, for it is made up of the parties already participating in the current government.
