We seem to be finally starting to see the fruits of all of our blood and treasure start to take form in Iraq: The Shia clerics are forming a Sharia Values Coalition. According Juan Cole quoting from al-Zaman a Sistani-backed unified list for the January elections might looks like this:
- SCIRI would get 12%
- Islamic Action Organization of Ayatollah al-Mudarrisi would get 10%;
- the Sadrists would get 10%;
- the Ibrahim Jaafari wing of al-Dawa would get 10%;
- The Islamic Dawa Iraq Organization under Abdul Karim al-Unzi would get 10%;
- Ahmad Chalabi, Abdul Karim al-Muhammadawi and Muhammad Bahr al-Ulum would share 10%.
The remaining places on the list being put together by Mahdi Karbala'i, representative of Grand Ayatollah Sistani, would be independents selected with the approval of the above parties.
According to this article by Walter Pincus of the Washington Post the need for lists is demanded by the system set out by the transitional law
Each individual candidate or list of candidates will be voted on nationwide. And each voter will have only one vote, whether for an individual or for a list of individuals.
Each list will be able to appoint members to the new Iraqi National Assembly in proportion to the number of votes it receives nationwide.
According to the article "Shia look to dominate a new Iraq parliament" by Charles Clover of the Financial Times Sistani's representative had this to say about how the independents would be selected for this "Shia list":
Mr Karbala'i said on Saturday that secular parties would also allowed onto the list provided they agreed to three conditions: that they maintain voting discipline within the Shia coalition; that they do "not change the Islamic character of the Iraqi people"; and that they do not support any legislation opposed to the Sharia [Islamic law].
According to the wicked comment of "swopa" on "needlenose" Visualizing sharia: Sistani's "values" coalition in Iraq
In short, secular candidates are welcome, as long as they promise to vote like religious extremists. I'm sure Sen.
Arlen Specter (R-Castrati) knows the feeling.
As to suggestions that the US was concerned about the idea of a "sectarian" and list and was pushing a "consensus" list Sistani's man had this to say:
Asked about US objections, Mr Shahristani [another Sistani representative] said the committee would not be taking the views of foreign governments into account, and would not meet foreign officials before the elections.
"We do not know the US position, but we have read in the media that the US is encouraging the formation of a national secular list. All I would stress is that our list will be open to all participants," he said.
So there you have an early look at the skillful job the the Grand Ayatollah is doing of setting the terms of the upcoming national election: the other side are "secularists" who are being pushed by certain "foreign governments". Not a bad job of "framing" for an old man who does not talk to foreigners and does not even have an Internet computer his office.
As to the Sunni side of things, it looks like even if they don't decided to boycott the election the vague rules of the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq (IECI) will have the last say over who can be on that list. A candidate can be excluded even for a membership ranking in the old BAATH party of the sort that, say, a many schoolteachers and college professors would have held, and also excludable would be anyone who did not have a "good reputation," or had made money "at the expense of the homeland and public finance" or "contributed to or participated in the
persecution of citizens."
All this makes it unlikely that the Sunni will find it very difficult to participate in a meaningful way: It they make similar agreements the IECI will be able to break them up by banning the names chosen by some of the members of any coalition and not others.