As Iraqi politicians gear up for election, public disillusion sets in again

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By Maher Nazeh

BAGHDAD (Reuters) -Iraqis are bracing for yet another election they fear will change little, with many seeing the pro-reform campaign banners for the November 11 vote as empty gestures from elites who have delivered little since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

Years of corruption, high unemployment and poor public services have blighted daily life since then even as democratic elections have become standard following decades of repressive dictatorship under Saddam Hussein.

Iraqis complain that many of their Shi’ite and Sunni Muslim leaders are too engaged in rivalry for sectarian power to tackle Iraq’s problems – despite its vast oil wealth.

Despite the election billboards and banners trumpeting change, for much of the public the election outcome feels predetermined, serving merely to keep Iraq’s political balance in the hands of the same sectarian elites.

‘HOW DO YOU MAKE ME TRUST YOU?’

Said Hatem, a Baghdad resident, voiced scepticism about the prospects for change. “You see the advertisement on the streets …, but they have been ruling for 20–25 years. How do you make me trust you?” he said.

Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission has approved 7,768 candidates to run for parliament, including 2,248 women and 5,520 men. It said campaigning was authorised from October 3 to November 8.

The vote will test confidence in Iraq’s entrenched sectarian political system that has failed to make good on pledges to improve basic services and fight graft in a country where Iraqis say vast oil revenues only benefit the political elite.

Shi’ite Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and his party will be competing mostly against other dominant, Iranian-backed Shi’ite factions.

POLITICAL VIOLENCE SPREADS FEARS

Frustration has been heightened by a resurgence in political tension, including the killing of parliamentary candidate Safa al-Mashhadani who had levelled criticism at everything from state corruption to Shi’ite militias he said were trying to take over his hometown.

Tabark Tariq al-Azzawi, a candidate for the Iraqi Progress Party, said she had received threats and increasingly feared for her safety.

“I hope this phase will pass without any further losses or assassinations, whether of candidates or ordinary citizens. I hope that security and safety will prevail always,” she said.

Reuters could not independently verify the motive or details of Mashhadani’s killing.

Authorities have since stepped up protection measures for candidates, with arrests made and investigations continuing, according to Iraq’s main security spokesman General Saad Maan.

Many Iraqis believe that real change through elections is nearly impossible because the same powerful political groups continue to dominate the state and its vast energy resources.

ORCHESTRATED ELECTION OUTCOMES

These parties are often backed by armed factions close to Iran who control key institutions, government contracts and public funds.

Voters say this allows ruling alliances to orchestrate election outcomes in their favour and only their supporters get through a patronage system – allegations these parties deny.

An Iraqi tribal leader, Sheikh Abdul Jaber Hamoud, criticised what he described as the tendency to improve government outreach and public services only during election cycles while most Iraqis were neglected at other times.

“I believe the political process is no longer a democratic one; rather, it has become a political process manipulated in favour of specific groups from 2003 to this day,” said political analyst Qais al-Zubaidi.

“Citizens strive for change, but this change is extremely difficult to achieve in the presence of uncontrolled weapons.”

Back in 2003, U.S. officials thought that toppling Sunni strongman Saddam would set Iraq on a path to freedom and prosperity enjoyed by all communities in the country.

Instead, a pro-Saddam insurgency emerged followed by Islamist Al Qaeda militants and a sectarian civil war that gave rise to the more extremist Islamic State jihadists.

Few politicians have raised hopes of a better life, even years after the sectarian bloodshed subsided.

(Additional reporting by Ahmed Rasheed; writing by Michael Georgy; editing by Mark Heinrich)