Iraqis anticipating more democratic experiences

TEHRAN,May 4(MNA)--The recent provincial election in Iraq was a clear example of the government’s ability to organize democratic elections without the help of foreigners. According to the initial results, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law Coalition has managed to win a slight majority over their rivals. This will seriously boost Maliki’s image in Iraq as new political forces in provincial councils who are associated with his coalition will help him to resolve the country’s problems. Maliki’s victory in the elections also raises his profile outside Iraq and solidifies his position as a strong leader, especially in the Arab world. Over the past few months, Iraq has been grappling with unrest and political uncertainty. This has mainly been due to the rise of sectarian disputes, which are being fueled from outside the country according to many political analysts. However, high-profile figures across Iraq’s political spectrum are aware of the consequences of any intensification of such disputes and they will never allow the situation to get out of control. The provincial election in Iraq was just the beginning of the new political process, which has allowed the people to participate in the country’s young democracy. The next step is for the government to stage the provincial election in Kirkuk, while people in the provinces of Anbar and Mosul will go to the ballot boxes in early July to elect members of their provincial councils. Then in September it will be the turn of citizens in the Kurdistan Region to elect their president, members of the regional parliament, and members of provincial councils. After that, Iraqis will start preparations for the parliamentary election of early 2014, which will select Iraq’s prime minister and ruling party or coalition for the next four years. Thus, Maliki’s government will have a lot of work to do in the coming months. The provincial election was the first since the withdrawal of the occupation forces in 2011, and the government and people showed that they are capable of practicing democracy on their own. The turnout stood at 51 percent, which was similar to the previous provincial election in 2009. The successful organization of the election also proved that the Iraqi government and the country’s political parties are determined to perform their democratic duty, despite the ongoing unrest and the numerous other political and security challenges. Iraq’s maraja (Shia clerics regarded as sources of emulation) also played a very decisive role in defusing the foreign conspiracies against the democratic process in Iraq. After the violence broke out and the street demonstrations against the government began in some provinces, the enemies of Iraq held out the hope that the maraja would boycott the election and even tell people to not go to the ballot boxes. However, the opposite happened, and the religious figures urged people to turn out in large numbers, showing that they are really optimistic about the political and social future of Iraq. Hassan Danayifar is Iran’s ambassador to Iraq. (By Hassan Danayifar)