Iraqi parliament will know its new members on October 10. Early election is a response to the public dissatisfaction and a new source of hope to inspire the Iraqi people.
Iraq has initiated the process of election, facilitating for soldiers and security forces to vote earlier. Iraqi people are set to take to the polls on Sunday, October 10.
Iraqi people will vote for a new legislature body for another time following the downfall of Saddam Hussein. Since 2003, Iraqis had the chance to participate in the democratic measures for five times.
The early parliament election is scheduled as a response to the public protests in 2019. The demonstrations indicated the public dissatisfaction with the administrative approaches in Iraqi administration.
329 seat in Iraqi parliament will know new owners for a new term. Despite early pessimism about the outcome of parliament election and calls for boycotting the polls by some groups, the atmosphere has changed to the benefit of democratic system in recent months.
“The failure of the government to compensate those who have lost homes, business and lives particularly in the Old City,” is one reason people are dissatisfied in cities like Mosul, a local professor says. Mosul has been devastated, partly turned to ashes, by ISIS forces during the years of occupation.
The unknown condition of foreign military presence and conditional independence of the nation is a further source of mistrust. Iraqis have called for the withdrawal of foreign troops from the country in a series of demonstrations in recent years.
Over 25 million Iraqis are entitled to vote. the number does not include those living abroad. While electronic voting was planned in early stages, voters are still required to provide a bio-metric card. For those without the cards, officials maintain that they will not be disqualified.
Iraqi Parliament; Local Challenges, Foreign Interventions
A main source of hope in the new Iraq election the change in its electoral law. The new electoral system provided the chance for more independent candidates to run.
Based on the new law, there are 83 constituencies, far more than 18 constituencies in 2018. “The new electoral law will allow more independent candidates to the parliament. However, there is a bit of skepticism among the Iraqi public – mainly the Iraqi civil society – on whether this is going to be possible,” a reporter said.
There are over 3,240 contenders running for the parliamentary seats. 950 women ran in the current race for Iraqi Parliament. A quarter of the seats are allocated to women indicating the attempt to improve the equality condition in the country. Besides, ethnic groups and religious minorities have nine seats.
The election process started under security provisions and with legal arrangements. “We voted freely and without any political pressure,” a Kurdish soldier told the reporters on Saturday.
There are four main groups introducing candidates in Iraqi parliament election. Besides, independent and local candidates have the chance to get the public trusts and find their way to the parliament.
Muqtada al-Sadr followers are the group with the main power. Sadr is a clergy and Islamic scholar with influence in Iraqi society. Resistance forces are another group with somehow similar ideologies and approaches to Sadrists. The group had an active role in the extermination of ISIS forces across the country.
Kurdish groups and Sunni scattered followers are to other groups with hopes to secure sear in Iraqi parliament. There are rifts insides Sunni factions which makes their success far from access.
From any race, gender, or political orientation, the new members of parliament will have a hard way securing the trust of people in Iraq.
