Source: BBC News

Who's Who in Post-Saddam Iraq ("BBC World News: Who's Who in Post-Saddam Iraq") [ID 9925]

Document(s): BBC World News: Who's Who in Post-Saddam Iraq

15.11.2007 - Source: International Crisis Group

Report on Shiite politics in Iraq: Facts on party SCIRI before 2003, on SCIRI in power, connections to Tehran ("Shiite Politics in Iraq: The Role of the Supreme Council") [ID 22476]

Document(s): Open document

28.06.2007 - Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Article on political situation of Sunnis ("Iraq: Sunnis Fear Being Forced Out Of Government") [ID 20489]

"Iraq's Sunnis, who were once at the top of the political hierarchy, have found themselves looking up at the Shi'a and Kurds, who now form the new political elite in post-Hussein Iraq. Four years after the U.S.-led invasion, Sunnis now complain that although many of them have joined the political process, they continue to be marginalized. [...] While it is highly unlikely that the Iraqi government is systematically trying to target Sunni politicians, there is a prevalent belief within the Sunni community that it is actively trying to do so. The perception among Sunnis that the Shi'ite-led government is trying to lock them out of the political process could lead to the eventual collapse of that process."

Document(s): Open document

18.12.2006 - Source: ReliefWeb

Factions to hold more peace talks ("Iraq factions to hold more peace talks"), Autor: AFP [ID 18064]

Document(s): Open document

10.12.2004 - Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

SHI'ITES ANNOUNCE UNITED IRAQI ALLIANCE LIST ("original document") [ID 9926]

"A coalition of 22 political parties and groups announced on 9 December that they will contest national elections on the United Iraqi Alliance list in January, international media reported. The list includes candidates from the two largest Shi'ite political parties, the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) and the Islamic Al-Da'wah Party. Other candidates on the list reportedly include Iraqi National Congress (INC) head Ahmad Chalabi, as well as Sunni, Kurdish, Yezidi, and Turkoman groups, and the Al-Shammar tribe. The tribe is comprised of both Sunni and Shi'a members."

Document(s): original document

02.12.2004 - Source: Institute for War and Peace Reporting

Kurdish parties unite on list of candidates ("original document") [ID 9927]

"(Asharq al-Awsat) – The two main Kurdish parties, the Democratic Party of Kurdistan and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, have decided to run in the parliamentary elections on a common list that also includes a moderate Islamic fundamentalist party as well as representatives of the Turkomen and Christian minorities in the Kurdistan region. KDP leader Masoud Barazani yesterday said "the current circumstances compel us to watch the destiny of Kurdistan and participate in one list to guarantee the Kurdish people's rights in Iraq." He added that "as long as the Shia agreed on their candidates' list to run elections, the Kurds will also have their own list.” (London-based Asharq al-Awsat, a Saudi independent paper, is issued daily.)

The Kurdish political parties did not ask the Iraqi Communist Party to join their unified list of candidates for the January 30 elections, according to CP Secretary General Hameed Majeed Moosa. Kurdish leaders pointed out the possibility of asking leftist parties to join their electoral list after the list of the Shia religious parties was joined by Shia secular figures. Moosa said the CP would be happy to join in on the Kurdish parties’ list if invited. (Al-Mada is issued daily by Al-Mada institution for Media, Culture, and Arts.)"

Document(s): original document

23.11.2004 - Source: Institute for War and Peace Reporting

150 parties and groups registered to take part in the election ("original document") [ID 9928]

"The pre-election political scene is still taking shape with solid alliances yet to be formed. By Ali al-Yassi in Baghdad (ICR No. 91, 23-Nov-04) The outlines of possible political alliances have begun to appear ahead of Iraq’s January elections - although parties seem reluctant to commit to anything at this stage.

Some 150 parties and groups have now been registered to take part in the election for a transitional national assembly, whose main task will be to draft a constitution, which will be put to a referendum by the end of next year. Shia candidates appear to be divided into two main groupings. The first, which includes the Dawa Party and the Supreme Council of Islamic Revolution in Iraq, SCIRI, is made up of parties participating in the current transitional government which agree on enough issues to form a single list in the election. These parties are expected to team up with movements such as the Islamic Labour Organisation and the Islamic Accord Movement, supervised by clerics like Ayatollah Hadi al-Muderresi and Ayatollah Taqi al-Muderresi. Shia politics have taken on an extra edge recently, following the edict issed by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Shia Islam’s supreme cleric, urging all his co-religionists to participate in the election.

Since his announcement, Sistani's deputies have been stressing the importance of voting in Shia mosques throughout the country. Despite this, the secretary general of the Dawa party - and Iraqi vice-president - Ibrahim al-Jafari, has expressed doubts about whether the forthcoming ballot will be conducted fairly. The Dawa party is also part of the other Shia grouping, made up of 13 parties including the Iraqi National Congress headed by the Pentagon’s former golden boy Ahmed Chalabi and the Islamic Dawa party (not to be confused with the Dawa party itself) represented by Ezzul Deen al-Barrak and Sheikh Abdul Kareem Mahood, both former members of the now dissolved Governing Council. While Iraq’s Shias appear to be widely backing the elections, there are dissenting voices. Jawad al-Boolani, spokesman for the influential Shia political council, said he believes the mechanism chosen for the elections is unfair and the whole process is happening to suit a United States, not Iraqi, timetable. (...) But according to Jafari, the election process fits with the current situation in Iraq. Controversial Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who has repeatedly locked horns with the established Shia clergy, has also recently announced his intention to field candidates in the election. Although his group has made no further announcements, observers believe he is keen to cultivate disaffected political groups that did not cooperate with the US occupation and that are not currently part of the interim government.

Those smaller parties, in turn, want to benefit from what is perceived as the extensive support the 31-year-old cleric enjoys among Iraq's poor. But there are dissenting voices there too. Mahmood al-Hasani, a prominent figure in the Sadrist movement, issued a statement - distributed around Shia cities - prohibiting any participation in the election. Al-Hasani perhaps has good reason for his personal bias against elections – he is wanted by the Coalition, which issued an arrest warrant for him six months ago. The Kurdish parties, which will simultaneously be running for their own regional elections, look set to be represented in a single list in the national ballot. The list will be headed by the region’s two main parties, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, PUK, and the Democratic Party of Kurdistan, KDP, which are already well represented in the interim government. Observers believe the Kurdish list will ultimately be expanded to include other secular parties such as the Iraqi Communist Party, former prime ministerial candidate Adnan al-Pachachi’s National Gathering, the National Democratic Party headed by Nasir al-Chaderchi, and the Arab Socialist Movement led by Abdul Ilah al-Nasrawi.

What will happen with Iraq’s Sunni Arabs, nationalists and fundamental Islamists based in the Sunni triangle, is another story.

At present, the Sunni groups are calling for a boycott of the elections, largely in reaction to the military operations ongoing in Fallujah.

The Sunni’s most influential religious authority in Iraq, the Association of Muslim Scholars, has stated that their stance towards the elections will depend on the outcome of the Sharm el-Sheik conference, where world leaders are discussing Iraq. The Sunnis’ Iraqi Islamic Party, regarded as an extension of the Muslim Brotherhood, has withdrawn from the current government in protest at the US-led attacks on Fallujah. But the party’s only government member, Minister of Industry Hachim al-Hasani, has refused to resign from his post, saying that the future of Iraq involves more than this single issue. As far as the country’s leadership goes, current prime minister Iyad Allawi, a member of the National Accord Party, is a strong candidate to stay on as head of the government following the elections. He will inevitably have the difficult job of leading an alliance of disparate national and religious movements as well as a sprinkling of independent candidates, such as moderate Shia cleric Hussein al-Sadr, admired by the Americans and supported by independent Shias.

In the current climate of uncertainty, much could change in the two months before the elections actually take place. With more military operations apparently planned, Iraqis will just have to wait until the dust has settled before picking their way through a political landscape that is still in formation."

Document(s): original document

15.11.2004 - Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Iraqi Islamic Party withdraws from interim government ("original document") [ID 9929]

"IRAQI ISLAMIC PARTY WITHDRAWS FROM GOVERNMENT. The Iraqi Islamic Party withdrew from participation in the interim government on 8 November to protest the incursion on Al-Fallujah, Al-Jazeera television reported. The party issued a statement obtained by Al-Jazeera that accuses the government of collusion with multinational forces in shedding the blood of the Iraqi people.

Iraqi Islamic Party spokesman Farid Sadri confirmed the decision in an 8 November interview with Al-Jazeera, saying, "The party leadership says that there is nothing now that justifies our presence in this government." He added: "As a political party, we recognize the legitimacy of resisting occupation. We believed we could do something to stop the aggression of the U.S. government through political means. So far, our attempts have failed."

Senior party member Muhsin Abd al-Hamid resigned from the interim National Assembly after the party's announcement, Reuters reported on 9 November. Meanwhile, party member and Industry and Minerals Minister Hazim al-Hassani said he will not resign. "I believe that the fate of Iraq is more important than that of a political party, and I will stay with the government," he told Reuters, adding, "I will withdraw from the Iraqi Islamic Party." (Kathleen Ridolfo)"

Document(s): original document

28.10.2004 - Source: Institute for War and Peace Reporting

Formation of a news party: The Democratic Iraqi Nation Party ("original document") [ID 9931]

"(Al-Mashriq) - Former leading figure of the Iraqi National Congress Mithal al-Aloosi yesterday announced the formation of The Democratic Iraqi Nation Party, along with his decision to run in the forthcoming elections. Aloosi was dismissed from the INC due to an allegedly unauthorized visit to Israel, which, he said, was to "defend Iraq's interests". Aloosi said he would go to "hell" if necessary to guarantee Iraqi interests and sovereignty. Aloosi also noted that Palestinians have relations with Israel, as do Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Oman, Tunisia, and Iran.
(Al-Mashriq is published daily by Al-Mashriq Institution for Media and Cultural Investments.)"

Document(s): original document

27.10.2004 - Source: Institute for War and Peace Reporting

KDP, PUK leaders meet to iron out differences ("original document") [ID 9932]

"(Al-Taakhi) - Kurdistan Democratic Party leader Masoud al-Barzani and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan leader Jalal al-Talabani yesterday met in Arbil to discuss political issues related to Iraq and the forthcoming elections. Barzani later said the meeting was generally good and that it focused on elections. Talabani said the results of the meeting were good and they had agreed on all important points but that it was too early to declare them. He added that they were trying to complete the issue of the unification of the two parties.
(Al-Taakhi is issued daily by the Kurdistan Democratic Party.)"

Document(s): original document

26.10.2004 - Source: Institute for War and Peace Reporting

Shia-Shia alliance: SCIRI and Dawa Party make strategic treaty for 2005 elections ("original document") [ID 9933]

"(Addustour) - The Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq has made a strategic treaty with the Dawa Party chaired by Iraqi Vice-President Ibrahim al-Jafari. The treaty aims at creating a Shia-Shia alliance as a preliminary step to running in the elections. Sciri's Director of Political Relations Ridha Jawad Taqi said there were many mechanisms through which the Council could run in the elections, including through a unified national list. "But the unified list would be supported by the government and thus it might win the elections 100 per cent", said Taqi. The Council will also present a unified Shia list if the first list fails. "The Council aims at no less than 50% Shia representation in the National Assembly to achieve the necessary political balance".
(Addustour is an independent daily published by former journalist Basim al-Sheikh.)"

Document(s): original document

08.10.2004 - Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Iraq: Major political parties form list for elections ("original document") [ID 9934]

"Iraq's six leading opposition-turned-political parties are reportedly working to compile a joint list of candidates to stand in the January 2005 elections, Baghdad's "Al-Zaman" reported on 5 October. The move is seen as a calculated step by the groups to retain a hold on power. The groups dominated the Iraqi Governing Council and were subsequently guaranteed seats on the interim National Assembly and interim cabinet. The groups are: the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the Islamic Al-Da'wah Party, the Iraqi National Congress, the Iraqi National Accord, the Kurdistan Democratic Party, and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. Two other groups will also participate in the list: the Communist Party and the Iraqi Islamic Party, "Al-Zaman" reported. Opposition groups have said that the current political structure has made it nearly impossible for them to compete in the political arena, the daily reported. (Kathleen Ridolfo)"

Document(s): original document

05.08.2004 - Source: Integrated Regional Information Network

Political parties and politicians complain about national conference ("original document") [ID 9937]

"Political parties and politicians who said they won't participate in a plan to name an interim nationwide parliament complain that the process would not be fair.

At the same time, organisers said the national conference originally scheduled for the end of July to elect a 100-member "quasi parliament" from 1,000 delegates was put off for two weeks in an effort to ensure participants represent all of Iraq."

Document(s): original document

11.06.2004 - Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Iraqi political groups - Part 1 ("original document") [ID 9938]

"Constitutional Monarchy Movement. Headed by Sharif Ali bin al-Husayn, cousin of the deposed Iraqi king, Faysal II, who was killed in the 1958 coup in Iraq. The group's website claims: "Constitutional monarchy is the one thing that could rescue Iraq from the factional conflicts between the various groups over the question of the position of the head of the state, because the Monarch would not favor one group to the detriment of another, but rather would represent all the people." The group supports an elected national assembly, and claims that it can maintain a balance in Iraq because "Monarchy needs not to be affected by the political ideologies of the competing parties because its main role is an arbitrator between all and guarantor of the constitution." The CMM was one of seven opposition groups to receive financial support from the United States prior to Operation Iraqi Freedom. However, the group was not afforded a seat on the interim Governing Council, much to the chagrin of al-Husayn (http://www.iraqcmm.org/).

Islamic Da'wah (Call) Party. Established in 1957-58, it is largely seen as a Shi'a organization, but does claim some Sunni membership. The spokesman of the party is Ibrahim al-Ja'fari, who served on the Iraqi Governing Council. The party is arguably the biggest and most well-supported Shi'a group in Iraq, having long opposed Ba'athist rule. The group was primarily based in Iran from 1980, after Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein declared membership to the group as punishable by death. The group attempted to assassinate former Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz in April 1980. The party joined the so-called Group of Seven leading Iraqi political parties to enjoy the support of the United States following the downfall of the Hussein regime. Prior to that, the group had limited contact with Iraqi opposition parties. Al-Da'wah claims to have lost 77,000 members to the Hussein regime. Some 40,000 Shi'ites were deported by the Ba'athist regime beginning in the 1970s after being labeled "Iranians" (http://daawaparty.com).

Iraqi Islamic Liberation Party. Founded in 1953 by Sheikh Taqi al-Din al-Nabahani and led by Sheikh Abd al-Qadim Zallum, who died in April 2003. The group considers itself a "branch" of the Iraqi Islamic Liberation Party, which is present in a number of countries. The party is also banned in many Arab countries states, including Iraq under previous regimes. It supports the establishment of an Islamic state under an Islamic caliphate. Party spokesman Abu al-Harith Azzam told Baghdad's "Al-Shira" in an interview published on 10 February 2004 that his group did not register (to date, groups are not required to do so) as a political party, and has no intention of doing so. The party does not coordinate with other Islamic parties. The party calls for an end to the occupation of Iraq, but does not support attempts to end the occupation through military action. The party is open to any Islamic sect, and any ethnicity, Azzam said, adding, "Being a Muslim is enough to accept him as a member in the party." The group's membership is unknown, but is thought to be negligible.

Iraqi Justice and Development Party. Established in December 2003, "Al-Ittihad" described it as a "political, social, and civil party that calls for political participation within a federal Iraq." It reportedly supports religious and ideological freedom. The group also supports Arab and Islamic causes and calls for Islam to be the basic source of legislation in Iraq. Calls for equality among citizens to be upheld. It is not known whether it is related to Turkey's ruling party of the same name.

Iraqi National Accord. Founded in 1990 and headed by interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi. The INA was one of the prominent opposition groups that received funding from the United States before the overthrow of the Hussein regime. Also known as the National Reconciliation Movement.

The group published its "political program" in its newspaper, "Baghdad," on 17 February 2004. It stressed the need to transfer sovereignty in accordance with the agreed upon date between Iraqis and coalition forces, as well as the transfer of responsibility for natural resources and foreign policy to Iraqi hands; it stressed the need for a national reconciliation project that includes a financial settlement for police, army, and government workers who were dismissed from their duties by the coalition, and the participation of those not involved in the regime's crimes in a new civil society; strengthening security and defense capabilities; and adopting new economic initiatives. The INA also calls for strong relations with Iraq's neighbors, the establishment of a vibrant civil society, and the drafting of a strong constitution that would protect the rights of all Iraqis.

Allawi is a former Ba'athist who left Iraq in the 1970s after a falling out with Hussein. He later survived an assassination attempt in the U.K. in 1978, purportedly ordered by Hussein. Membership of his group largely consists of ex-Ba'athists and military men opposed to the Hussein regime. A medical doctor by training, Allawi is a Shi'a.

Islamic Democratic Current Party. Established in March 2003 and led by Muhammad Abd al-Jabbar Shabbut, who is from Al-Kut. Shabbut told the Israeli Arab weekly "Al-Sinnarah" in an interview published on 7 May 2004 that his party combines Islam as a cultural basis and democracy as a neutral procedural mechanism as its platform. Shabbut has been an Islamic political activist since the mid-1960s. He left Iraq in the late 1970s after the Ba'athist regime clamped down on the Islamic movement in Iraq. According to "Al-Sinnarah," Shabbut was sentenced to death in absentia for his antiregime activism, and only returned to Iraq following the fall of the Hussein regime. Shabbut claims some 40,000 Sunni, Shi'ite, and Christian members to his party, which he says does not insist on an Islamic affiliation. He told "Al-Sinnarah" that based on opinion polls inside Iraq, "We are confident that the Iraqi people are aware of the need to elect a statesmen and not a man of religion as the head of state." He added that his party is different from other Islamic parties because it "is not a religious party," and because it "officially adopt[s] democracy in its documents and considers [democracy] part of the Islamic theory" of the party. Shabbut is the author of 13 books on Islamic thought.

Islamic Movement of Kurdistan. Established in the mid-1980s and led by Mullah Ali Abd al-Aziz Halabji. Set up a governing body in the Halabjah region of northern Iraq in 1998, but reportedly does not impose strict Islamic law. Abd al-Rahman Abd al-Rahim, a member of the group's consultative council, told London-based "Al-Sharq al-Awsat" in an interview published on 5 August 2003 that the movement's leader was unjustly arrested by U.S. forces in Halabjah. He claimed that Mullah Ali Abd al-Aziz is a member of the former Iraqi opposition who has since called for "means other than weapons" to further the movement's agenda. Asked about reported links by the movement to Ansar Al-Islam group, Abd al-Rahim said, "The Ansar Al-Islam group members were not happy with our new [nonviolent] policy. They are vehemently opposed to the stand of [Abd al-Aziz] on cooperation with the provincial [Kurdistan] government and the movement's participation in municipal elections." Asked whether the movement will disarm its fighters, he said, "Every party in the world should reconsider its stands and policies every now and then, and this applies to us.... We believe that our priorities at this current stage are limited to preaching and guidance. And I assure you that we have no training or other camps. All our activities are now confined to party organizational affairs." It has received aid from Iran, the United States (after 1998), and possibly Saudi Arabia.

Kurdistan Islamic Group. Established by Ali Bapir in May 2001. Bapir is a former member of the Islamic Movement of Kurdistan. The group reportedly receives funding from the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. It has been linked to the terrorist group Ansar Al-Islam, but released a statement on 11 October 2004 in "Komal" denying that any such links existed. Bapir was interviewed in "Komal" in January 2003. He said: " Our policy is that we enter into fraternity and cooperation with all Islamic groups. We seek such fraternal relations with Islamic parties and organizations, Islamist figures, and groups that follow a Salafi tradition or a Sufi or a scientific tradition. In the Islamic Group, we believe that the group must be open-minded and seek fraternity with all those who call or act for Islam. If we see a mistake, we will try to correct it through dialogue and by creating a fraternal atmosphere."

Kurdistan Communist Party. Declared itself a party in 1993 after separating from the Iraqi Communist Party. It is headed by Kamal Shakir, who succeeded Karim Ahmad in April 2004. It was one of the first political groups to call for an Iraqi interim government after the fall of the Hussein regime. In April 2004, the party called for an expansion of the Iraqi Governing Council to serve as the interim government following the 30 June transfer of power. The party has good relations with the main Kurdish groups the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and the Kurdistan Democratic Party. It is estimated to have around 5,000 members.

Kurdistan Islamic Union. Describes itself as "an Islamic reformative political party that strives to solve all political, social, economic and cultural matters of the people in Kurdistan from an Islamic perspective which can achieve the rights, general freedom, and social justice (http://kurdiu.org). The party secretary is Salah al-Din Baha al-Din, who also held a seat on the Iraqi Governing Council. The group draws a strong base of support from the student population and is reportedly on good terms with Kurdistan Democratic Party head Barzani and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan chief Talabani. However, Baha al-Din told "Hawlati" in May 2004 that he doesn’t believe the KDP and PUK are serious about unifying their administrations in northern Iraq. The group is closely tied to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Kurdistan Socialist Democratic Party. Led by Muhammad Jahi Mahmud. It has been critical of Kurdistan Democratic Party head Barzani and Patriotic Union of Kurdistan chief Talabani because Mahmud feels they could "care less" about the unity of Kurdistan. "As long as the United States supports and cooperates with them, they will neither unify nor will they accept to have partners with them in the government.

Kurdistan Toilers' Party. Established in 1985 by members of the Kurdistan Socialist Party who left due to ideological differences. It is headed by Qadir Aziz. He wants a federal system in Iraq that would be a "national, geographic federal system, based on the recorded historical and geographic facts," "Al-Sharq al-Awsat" reported on 30 July 2003. It worked with the Kurdistan Socialist Democratic Party in December 2000 to try to negotiate an end to fighting between the Kurdistan Workers' Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan. "Hawlati" reported on 29 October 2003 that the Kurdistan Toilers' Party and the Kurdistan Socialist Democratic Party agreed to merge into a new group to be known as the Kurdistan Socialist Party."

Document(s): original document

06.2003 - Source: Middle East Intelligence Bulletin

Report on the Islamic Call Party (Hezb al-Daawa al-Islamiyya) ("Hezb al-Daawa al-Islamiyya (Vol. 5 No. 6)") [#16730],  [ID 9941]

Document(s): Open document