The Hindu : International : Iraq poll campaign begins amid violence

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Thursday, Dec 16, 2004

International

International

Iraq poll campaign begins amid violence

By Atul Aneja

MANAMA, DEC. 15. Iraqi political parties contesting the January 30 elections for a 275-member Assembly can begin campaigning from today amid violence, which has engulfed large parts of the country.

The Assembly will appoint a government and draft a constitution leading to a national election in 2006. More than 230 parties and groups, organised around 80 alliances, are expected to participate in the polls.

While the majority Shia community has made extensive preparations to contest, Sunnis, who have been in power during most of the country's history, appear disinclined.

The Association of Muslim Scholar (AMS), an influential but a predominantly Sunni body, has opposed the polls. But the Sunni, Iraqi Islamic Party, could contest though it has demanded that the elections be postponed by six months.

It has presented a list of 275 candidates to the Electoral Commission, but its spokesman has said a decision on participation is yet to be taken.

"If elections are not postponed, we will reconsider our stance of taking part," Fuad al-Rawi was quoted as saying.

At least 17 Sunni and secular parties, including one led by Sunni elder statesman Adnan Pachachi, a former Foreign Minister, have supported a delay, saying voters in Sunni regions would be too intimidated to vote.

Al-Sistani's edict

Amid the 60 per cent Shia majority's anticipation of coming to power for the first time, the top Shia spiritual leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, has issued an edict calling upon Shias to vote.

His followers have unveiled a list of 228 candidates that draws together the two main Shia parties, Dawa and the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), as well as the Iraqi Hizbollah.

But Moqtada Al-Sadr, prominent Shia cleric, on Tuesday demanded that religious leaders should seek guarantees for the immediate departure of foreign troops after the elections. "Otherwise, our participation will be unlikely."

Trial next week

The interim Prime Minister, Iyad Allawi, has said leaders in the former President, Saddam Hussein's regime would face trial for crimes against humanity and war crimes next week. He said the `symbols' of the former regime would be tried "one by one." The first to appear would be Ali Hassan al-Majid — who has been accused of involvement in a chemical weapon attack against Kurdish residents of Halabja. The interim Defence Minister, Hazim al-Shalaan, said the trial would begin "next week, maybe, or in the middle of next month." There has so far been no indication about when Mr. Hussein would himself face trial.

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