Ali Alazbarjawi says that a roadmap must be created by the next parliament for the expulsion of the US forces.
In a round table jointly organized by Radio Goftogoo and Mehr News Agency, two senior political commentators Seyed Reza Sadrolhosseini and representative of Iraq’s “National Approach” party in Iran, Ali Alazbarjawi put forward their analyzes regarding the Iraqi Elections and its domestic and regional outcomes.
During the discussion, Ali Alazbarjaw said that the current round of elections will be held according to the revised electoral law; therefore, its importance is multiplied. He called it a historical moment since 2003.
He further added that the new election law was a public demand. Iraqis had called for a new mandate regarding the electoral process. Previously, most of the people who reached the Parliament were nominees of the political parties and alliances but according to the new law, from now on, most of the candidates are individuals unrelated to any party.
“Previously, the country was divided into eighteen electoral constituencies; while now it is increased to 83 political districts. Around 3200 candidates are in the race for 329 seats of the Parliament. According to the Iraqi election commission, twenty-four million are eligible to vote in this round of elections.”
Al-Zabarjawi also said that the new electoral mandate can completely change the political scene of the Parliament. Although, it may also become a ground for problems and complications. For example, the diversified political inclination of the elected members may create disagreements and disputes during the selection process of the Prime Minister.
“ Some efforts were made to delay the voting again; Iraqi election commission had also indicated that the current round of voting and vote counting will be held by electronic means so there were some concerns regarding the unavailability of necessary platforms and a year of delay was expected. It didn’t happen.”
The representative of “The National Approach Party” of Iraq continued that the new Parliament must form a government that improves the public services sector. The Iraqis have called for an administration that takes note of the Water and Electricity situation in the country and tries to resolve the issues seriously. The Prime Minister must be an outcome of consensus of the political alliances.
“From the day first, Mustafa Al-Kazemi was given the target of holding a new round of elections; there is a possibility, that the elected MPs will nominate him again for this post. It’s a likely scenario which completely depends on the nature of the political alliances reaching the new Parliament.”
Ali Al-Azbarjawi further said that during Al-Kazemi’s administration, the Iraqi Parliament’s law which obliged the expulsion of the American forces from Iraq had come to a halt. “From now on, the Parliament and the next administration must prepare a framework to make this possible which is another message of the early elections. The Iraqi people have demanded the US expulsion and the next administration must focus on this issue.”
He added that supporting the People Mobilization Forces (PMF) is also demanded by the voters because this organization has the legal and popular ground as well as the backing by the religious authority. “There are some intentions of dissolving or merging them into the armed forces of the country; so the new Parliament must make a clear decision in favor of PMF. The MPs have the final say on this topic.”
Al-Azbarjawi pointed out that the PMF has secured the country and the establishment. Just like Afghanistan, the Americans will resort to terrorism if they’re forced out of the country; thereon the importance of the PMF will become clear in regards to the security of the country.
The representative of “The National Approach Party” recalled the UN and EU’s observation of the electoral process in Iraq saying that these bodies have a political approach towards Iraqi elections; thus, they tried their best to delay the voting. “UN’s observation is concerning because they’ll internationalize the possible violations in the voting process.”
Ali Al-Azbarjawi added that previously, if any violation took place, the case would be referred to the Judiciary and it was considered a domestic issue. But now if a minor breach of law happens, some of the political factions will take it to the international platforms. Contrarily, some parties which have failed in the elections may claim vote-rigging and refer their case to the United Nations and try to invalidate the results with the support of this international organization.
