Iraqi politicians accuse commission of foreign influence

By Nael Lutfi in Baghdad
For Al-Shorfa.com
2010-01-19

[File] Deputy Prime Minister Rafie al-Issawi is one of the candidates banned by the AJC.

Iraqi politicians and citizens are heavily criticizing the Accountability and Justice Commission's (AJC) decision to ban hundreds of candidates from participating in the March 7th parliamentary election.

Some political entities accused AJC officials of giving in to foreign interests in an attempt to tip the election in favour of one political side.

Mohammed Selman, a parliamentarian representing the Iraqi Front for National Dialogue led by Saleh al-Mutlak, said the AJC's decision to exclude candidates from the election "is illegal and does not serve the political process and will not help in building security and stability."

In an interview with Mawtani.com, Selman added, "This issue sends out a negative message to Iraqi citizens that may even make them not participate in the election. This is in addition to the damage it may cause to the national reconciliation project."

"Information confirms that the head of the AJC, Ali Faisal al-Lami, will run in the election for the Iraqi National Coalition," Selman noted. "Therefore, he will abuse his public office to remove his political opponents for election-related purposes."

Last Thursday (January 14th), a parliamentary committee submitted a list of 499 names of candidates from 11 political entities to the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), based on a list of 15 entities supplied by the AJC. The commission said these candidates were not allowed to take part in the next election because of alleged affiliation with the Baath party or its ideals.

The list of excluded candidates includes lawmaker Saleh al-Mutlak and Rafie al-Issawi, Deputy Prime Minister and head of the Future National Gathering. Both are now members of al-Iraqiyah coalition, which is led by former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi.

Some Iraqi parliamentarians accused al-Lami of having negative effect on the political process in Iraq and of giving in to "foreign agendas".

Hussam al-Azzawi, a parliamentarian representing the Iraqi National Bloc, wondered how the ban could be accepted "when it is being directed by someone who is known for his links to a neighbouring country."

In an interview with Mawtani, al-Azzawi said al-Lami "is known to have links with Iran. He has been previously arrested and charged with belonging to the special groups that were supported by that state, and which carried out suspicious activities in Iraq."

"[Iran] is trying to sabotage the political process by tipping the scales in favour of a political entity that is linked to it, at the expense of other entities that oppose [Iran's] interventions in Iraq," al-Azzawi added.

Al-Lami was arrested and detained in September 2008 at Baghdad International Airport after his arrival from Lebanon. At the time, he was accused of being a senior leader of Iranian-backed special groups and of being involved in the bombing of the US-Iraqi Advisory Security Center in Sadr City in Baghdad.

However, al-Lami was released in August 2009.

Meanwhile, Alaa Mekki, a leader in the Tajdid Bloc, stressed the need to proceed with the parliamentary election before taking action against political figures who have been excluded by the AJC.

"The logical way to exit from this crisis is to get those candidates to sign written declarations to withdraw from the election if the [appeals process] proves the correctness of their exclusion," Mekki told Mawtani. "In this way, we would spare the country a suffocating political crisis. In addition, this will give the next election greater momentum and credibility."

Mona Zalzala, a parliamentarian representing the Unified Iraqi Coalition, said the judiciary should determine who is banned.

"Every member of parliament and candidate for election who believes that he was wrongly accused of having had links with the Baath party -- despite having never belonged to that party or promoted its ideas -- can declare that on satellite television and submit a petition to the judiciary to acquit himself both in the media and at court," she said.

Many Iraqi citizens expressed their resentment of the AJC's decision and its potential to impede the political process in Iraq.

"I think that the decision to exclude candidates from participating in the election carries political dimensions and comes within the context of the conflicts now taking place between political blocs in Iraq," said Zuhair Karim, 47, a taxi driver.

"Where was the AJC in the last election? How could they not discover that al-Mutlak or anyone else were Baathists?" Karim added. "I believe that the decision serves the interest of some blocs and aims at clearing the way for them to win the election."

"This decision may have negative ramifications on the general conditions in Iraq, and it may bring us back to the days of sectarian war. Violence may increase in the future," warned Ahmed Ali, a resident of Baghdad.

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