By the Gazette Editorial Board After the 15 years of turmoil that Iraq suffered as a result of the Anglo-American invasion of 2003, it seems that the country is re-setting its feet on the right track for restoring its position in the region. The 2003 invasion of Iraq meant to topple the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. Ending the Saddam Hussein regime, however, brought long years of violence and sectarian differences between the various Iraqi factions and even caused the emergence of Daesh (the so-called Islamic State) that managed to dominate large parts of Iraq. The problem was that toppling the Saddam regime resulted in the collapse of state institutions, especially after the dismantling of the Iraqi army, along with the growing influence of Iran, which triggered more enmity among the Iraqi factions. It is to be hoped that a change might be seen soon in Iraq with the announcement of the results of the Iraqi parliamentary elections that showed the coalition formed by the Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr had taken the lead in the elections. The nationalist cleric, who surprised the Iraqi community by siding with the secularists and the Iraqi Communist party, managed to gain over all other rivals including the coalition of the present government that enjoys US support. Al-Sadr's group known as Sairoon, the Arabic word for "On the Move" promised the Iraqis to focus on rebuilding the country's infrastructure and provide health and education to the poor. Thus it managed to obtain the greatest number of votes, 1.3 million, and 54 seats of the 329 of the parliament. Under the Iraqi system, one of the coalitions formed for the election must gain a majority of the 329 seats in parliament in order to choose a prime minister and form a government, a process that should be completed within 90 days of announcing the final results of the process. Though Al-Sadr would neither take the position of the Prime Minister nor have his block solely form the government, his success in registering an advanced position over all other rivals shows that a major change has taken place in the conventions of the Iraqi street. The first indication of this astonishing result was the Iraqi electorates turning against all the politicians who enjoy the support of foreign powers, mainly the US and Iran.Along with being a symbol of resistance to foreign occupation, Al-Sadr showed willingness to restore good relations with his Arab neighbours and end proxy rule in Iraq. This could be why many of his followers celebrated his gains at the ballot box by chanting "Iran out!" Al-Sadr has long appeared as a strong opponent of the successive Shi'ite rulers who in his opinion governed weakly and produced corruption and weakness in the state institutions. Voting for his block, the Iraqis meant to change the system of governance and depend on their wealth and resources to rebuild their country. What is more important is the fact that some Iraqi Shi'ites meant to look again to the Iraqi Najaf as the historical capital of Shiism rather than the Iranian Qom. Others believe in the importance of obtaining full separation between religious institutions and the political body so that no religious leadership could claim authority over the state or the Shii'te community as is the case in Iran.
