Abadi’s electoral alliance collapses after just one day
The Iraqi prime minister’s electoral alliance collapsed yesterday just a day after its formation amid reports of differences between members.
Haider Al Abadi, who led the country in the four-year war against ISIL, is hoping to secure another term as prime minister in the May general elections after claiming victory over the extremists and thwarting an Iraqi Kurdish bid for independence.
On Sunday, Mr Al Abadi said the formation of a “cross-sectarian” coalition called Nasr Al Iraq, or the Victory Alliance, to run in the elections against “State of Law” bloc of vice president Nouri Al Maliki, his predecessor, key rival and fellow Dawa party member.
The Nasr Al Iraq coalition was supposed to include Al Fatih bloc, a group of powerful Shiite militias led by Hadi Al Ameri.
But by yesterday, groups from Al Fatih had announced their withdrawal from the alliance, including Al Badr Organisation.
“Our withdrawal from the Victory Alliance was carried out formally and collectively,” said Mohammed Al Bayati, assistant to the head of the Al Badr Organisation.
The withdrawals came hours after it was announced prominent Shiite leader Ammar Al Hakim would join Nasr Al Iraq.
Al Fatih members gave various reasons for their decisions to withdraw, including charges of sectarianism and corruption against coalition members, and opposition to the inclusion of Mr Al Hakim.
But other members chose to withdraw for more practical reasons, believing they would secure more seats running on a smaller list.
One Fatih leader, Falah Al Khazali, accused the coalition of including “groups involved in corruption”, while another, Haneen Al Qado, said “reasons for the withdrawals are due to the contention of parties within yhe Victory Alliance and differences of opinions”.
There was no official response from Mr Al Abadi’s office.
Earlier, one of Iraq’s most senior Shiite clerics, Moqtada Al Sadr, denounced as “abhorrent” Mr Al Abadi’s decision to join forces with Iran-backed militias in the elections.
“My condolences [to the people of Iraq] for the abhorrent political alliances that are of a sectarian nature,” he said.
The Shiite cleric had previously announced his support for Mr Al Abadi and pledged to back his candidacy for a second term.
But Mr Al Sadr described the militias as shameless and said the Nasr Al Iraq coalition would “pave the way for the return of corruption and sectarianism”.
The militias fight as part of the Hashed Al Shaabi, a Shiite-dominated alliance that remains deeply divisive and has been accused of abuses.
In November, Mr Al Abadi banned militia leaders from running in the elections, saying there should be a “clear separation between political and armed groups”. Many militia leaders later resigned from positions in armed groups.
“It is very simple for militia leaders to sidestep any restrictions on political activity by nominally stepping down from military roles,” Michael Knights, Iraq analyst at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told The National.
Mr Al Abadi’s plea for a separation between political and armed groups was backed by Mr Al Sadr last month when he ordered his fighters in the Hashed Al Shaabi to disband.