Election season has come early in Iraq, with the major political parties and their leaders already launching into a series of public criticisms and accusations directed at their rivals, two months before the country goes to the polls.

The March elections have raised the specter of controversy and even danger for Iraq, as disagreements persist at the highest levels over such fundamental issues as the nature of the electoral system and the role of the media, and as fear grows that the election itself could do more harm than good.

“Officials have started accusing each other of being responsible for the failure in managing the country’s affairs over the last 4 years,” said Dr Ahmad al-Maamouri, a researcher at the Arab Studies Center at al-Mustansariyah University.

But the most important war of words is the one under way between Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and the second deputy of the republic’s president, Tariq al-Hashimi. Al-Hashimi asked the prime minister to submit his resignation under the pretext that he had “failed to perform his tasks.” Al-Hashimi’s comments came on the heels of the bombings that hit Baghdad on December 8, 2009.

As if in reply, al-Maliki raised doubts about the professional career of al-Hashimi as a military officer, even going so far as to say that al-Hashimi “was fired from the former Iraqi army.” Al-Maliki also criticized him for demanding the resignation of the government and for al-Hashimi’s request that private security companies be tasked with solving the security crises.

In response, al-Hashimi challenged al-Maliki’s claims, asking him to provide evidence to support his claims. He said that he considered al-Maliki’s accusations to be politically motivated and that his aim had been to sully al-Hashimi’s name in the run-up to the election.

Some observers trace the recent increased hostility to the disagreements over the electoral system, disagreements which culminated in al-Hashimi vetoing the proposed reform’s passage into law. Al-Maliki described the veto as “unconstitutional”.

For these observers, the war to become the next prime minister is already well under way among politicians, long before the opening of the election campaign season in the media by the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC).

Wael Abdul-Latif, an independent MP, agreed that battle had already begun, saying that the war between the political parties and coalition over the prime minister’s position is “not a new one.” He added that before even external rivals had begun to attack him, al-Maliki’s allies were competing with him for the position because whoever occupies it becomes the higher authority in Iraq and influences all the country’s decisions.

Abdul-Latif, who has recently joined the National Iraqi Alliance block, led by the Supreme Islamic Council, said that the next phase will witness a severe conflict between all parties, particularly because "yesterday’s allies have become today’s enemies.”

"Everyone aspires to hold the prime minister’s position,” Abdul-Latif said. “But this is a complex issue and it is very much connected to the majority that political blocs can win in the parliamentary elections.” (After the Presidency Council has named a new prime minister, he or she must then be voted in by the National Assembly with a two thirds majority.)

A parliamentary source close to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki told Niqash that "there is a political campaign launched by al-Hashimi and his allies against al-Maliki, as part of the electoral competition, in which the media is used as a tool.”

But Abdul-Illah Kathem, a spokesman for al-Hashimi, tried to downplay the competitive nature of the spat, saying that the rhetorical war between al-Hashimi and al-Maliki “is not part of the war over the prime minister’s position.” He added that “there are key differences between the two men on how to manage the state’s affairs.”

Kathem told Niqash that policy disagreements between the deputy president and the prime minister are the result of “deep conflicts” that date back to the time when the current government was formed. But he gave no details of the nature of these competing agendas. Referring to al-Maliki’s behaviour, he commented that “politicians should avoid raising personal issues in their conflicts.”

The ratcheting up of political pressure has come at a time when several Shiite figures are preparing to launch their own bids to become prime minister. Most prominent among the challengers is Adel Abdul-Mahdi, the president’s first deputy. Sources close to Abdul-Mahdi said that “he is the supreme council’s sole candidate for heading the next government should the National Iraqi Alliance win the elections.”

But there are other politicians also seeking to nudge al-Maliki aside. They include former prime ministers Iyad Allawi and Ibrahim al-Jaafari as well as former Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad al-Chalabi, as well as Tariq al-Hashimi. Al-Hashimi is a Sunni whereas al-Chalabi comes from a prosperous and influential Shiite family in Baghdad.

Rhetorical skirmishes are standard fare in the run-up to elections in Iraq, but the current accusations and name-calling are unusually strong and, some say, augur badly for Iraq’s future.

One of the latest examples of such a war took place between the head of the Sunni Tawafuq bloc, Thafer al-Ani, and President Jalal al-Talabani just a few days ago. Al-Ani called upon al-Talabani not to nominate himself for a second term. In return, the media office of the president issued a statement demanding the lifting of immunity on al-Ani because “he supports authoritarians and he publicly declares that he was part of the criminal regime,” insinuating that he was a member of the dissolved Baath Party.

Observers say much is at stake in the forthcoming elections and that the political atmosphere will become more charged still as Election Day nears. They expect this to lead to strong participation by all parties and coalitions. It only remains to be seen whether voters will respond with similar gusto.



Photo by Sabah Arar (AFP/Getty Images)