The New York Times: What is the impact of the new powers on Iraq's diplomatic course?

[size=52]The New York Times: What is the impact of the new powers on Iraq's diplomatic course?[/size]

[size=45]Translation / Hamed Ahmed[/size]
[size=45]The followers of the Shiite cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, celebrated the victory of the Sadrist bloc with the largest number of parliamentary seats after the High Elections Commission announced the preliminary results of the early elections, which may strengthen his authority by determining whether the country will move further away from the American orbit.[/size]
[size=45]While two independent candidates won for the first time some seats in a political landscape changed by popular protests against the government, it became more clear when the votes were counted on Monday that the biggest winner in Sunday's elections was the Sadrist bloc. Where it won an additional twenty seats in Parliament, consolidating its position as the largest bloc, which gives it the decisive decision to be the country's next prime minister.[/size]
[size=45]The New York Times reports in its report that this outcome may complicate the challenge that Iraq is facing in its diplomatic orientation between the United States and Iran, the two rivals who find Iraq a vital arena for their interests. Armed factions close to Iran played a role in countering the threats of ISIS when it invaded Iraq in 2014, and also carried out attacks on American interests in the country.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Sadr had an unstable relationship with Iran, and with regard to the United States, he and his aides also refused to meet with American officials. On the other hand, Al-Sadr is seen as an Iraqi national figure, a feature that has sometimes put him in a collision with Iran.[/size]
[size=45]In a speech on Monday evening, al-Sadr said that all embassies are welcome in Iraq as long as they do not interfere in Iraq's affairs or the formation of its government. Al-Sadr has openly criticized the Iranian-backed armed factions who call themselves the Resistance. He said that the time has come for people to live in peace without occupation, terrorism or kidnapping.[/size]
[size=45]The electoral authorities announced the preliminary results on Monday evening, and the official results are expected to be announced later this week. With the completion of the counting of 94% of the total votes, the commission officials said that the percentage of participation in voting was around 41%, which is a very low percentage that reflects the deep resentment of the Iraqis towards the politicians and government leaders who made Iraq among the most corrupt countries in the world.[/size]
[size=45]Activists, who participated in the protests against the government and managed to oust the previous government in 2010 and entered the electoral campaign competitions for the first time this year in early elections that they called as one of their demands for a change in the political system in Iraq, have won more than 12 seats.[/size]
[size=45]That political system, in which major government positions are divided among political leaders according to an ethno-sectarian approach, has not changed so far. But a new election law loosens the grip of major political blocs and makes it easier for independent candidates and smaller parties to win seats.[/size]
[size=45]Haider Tahsin Ali, 20, a grocery worker in Sadr City, says, “Of course I gave my vote to the thoracic bloc.”[/size]
[size=45]The cleric Muqtada had announced twice during the preparations for the elections that he would withdraw his current from participating in the elections before reversing this decision and declaring that the next prime minister should be from the Sadrist bloc. But it seems that al-Sadr is open to negotiations about who is chosen to lead the government.[/size]
[size=45]Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, an independent man who tried to balance Iraq's relationship between the United States and Iran, may need to back al-Sadr to remain in his position for a second term. While Shiite parties dominate the Iraqi political scene, other political parties represented by the Kurdistan Democratic Party as well as the Parliament Speaker's bloc, Muhammad al-Halbousi, have also emerged by winning enough seats that they can play a major role in determining who will be the next prime minister.[/size]
[size=45]The low participation in the elections was a reflection of the hatred towards Iraqi politicians, especially among young voters who face a future without opportunities for them. It is noteworthy that 60% of the population of Iraq is from a young generation under the age of 25.[/size]
[size=45]Farhad Alaeddin, head of the Iraqi Advisory Council in Baghdad, says, “It is clear that people are still disappointed by the political parties and the political process as well. People no longer trust that elections will bring some change, and that is why they are not interested in going out to vote.”[/size]
[size=45]Organizing the electoral process, with the introduction of new biometric voting cards and electronic transmission systems designed to avoid fraud and fraud that accompanied the previous elections, has been recognized by international observers as being in accordance with international standards.[/size]
[size=45]But some of the organizations that deployed observers during the voting process have warned that low participation means limited popular mandate for the next new government.[/size]
[size=45]"In the post-election outcome, the aspect of low participation may raise questions about the legitimacy of the government," said Sarah Hebb, of the German Friedrich Ebert Foundation for Policy Research.[/size]
[size=45]The popular protest movement that broke out in Baghdad and other southern governorates, in which thousands of young people took to the streets, demanded the provision of job opportunities and public services and an end to rampant political corruption.[/size]
[size=45]Alaa al-Rikabi, one of the leaders of these protests among the candidates in the elections, easily won a seat in the city of Nasiriyah. Al-Rikabi said that the movement's main goal is to move the protests from the street to the parliament, where it is possible to work with other new members of parliament to demand change.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Rikabi said during an interview in August, “My family does not have a sufficient number of hospitals or adequate health care services. Many of my people are below the poverty line. Many of them say they do not have enough to feed their children, and they cannot send their sons and daughters for education.”[/size]
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