Iraq: Tehran wants to consolidate its influence in the liberated city councils

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[size=52]Iraq: Tehran wants to consolidate its influence in the liberated city councils[/size]

[size=45]Parties in the “coordination framework” believe that the time has come to reap the fruits of the plan to incursion into the liberated cities by winning seats in the provincial councils of Nineveh, Anbar, Salah al-Din, and Kirkuk, but years spent by the factions maximizing their financial and commercial influence may backfire in the December elections. Next.[/size]
[size=45]The “Coordinating Framework” lists are competing for seats in the liberated cities, and are looking for a local legislative presence there, with the exception of Anbar (west), which does not provide a demographic base for candidates from outside the governorate, and according to Iraqi politicians, the acquisition of seats in these cities by these parties follows an “Iranian strategy.” “It took effect after the end of the liberation battles against ISIS.”[/size]
[size=45]During the past five years, factions close to Iran have acquired commercial and industrial interests in the liberated cities, and they have also been able to link those interests to their armed presence through headquarters and barracks that include armed men affiliated with them.[/size]
[size=45]A former Iraqi minister, who hails from Nineveh Governorate, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the majority of the armed factions that participated in military operations against ISIS about 6 years ago invested in these cities by establishing huge commercial entities and extending political arms, some of which came After alliances with local parties.[/size]
[size=45]According to the minister, “internal disputes between the forces of the coordination framework did not prevent them from protecting the strategic goal of strengthening their influence in the liberated cities, and part of this is related to the necessity of survival in anticipation of the emergence of extremist organizations such as ISIS, but the larger goal is mainly related to the interests of Iran, which wants to secure This zone is to control the roads linking the conflict hotspots in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.”[/size]
[size=45]According to informed sources, “Iran, which does not focus much on bilateral disputes between Shiite faction leaders and leaves this matter to local mediations, is urging its allies in Iraq to ensure presence in the provincial councils and to increase the number of Shiite representatives in northern and western Iraq.”[/size]
[size=45]About a month ago, propaganda campaigns were launched for all competing parties in the liberated cities, and while forces such as “Taqaddum” and “Sovereignty” focus on general amnesty laws and the file of the missing, in addition to services, the Coordination Framework parties are busy presenting their candidates as “the only hope” that protects their communities. In those cities.[/size]
[size=45]A political consultant who runs an election campaign in liberated cities says that candidates close to the factions have strong influence in their areas, because they represent an “existential necessity” for their voters in those areas, and they control enormous resources as a result of interests that were created after 2017.[/size]
[size=45]According to the advisor, the “Framework” forces will win seats in the liberated city councils, but they are unlikely to achieve high numbers equivalent to their economic and security influence, while achieving significant results in Anbar Governorate is unlikely due to its population nature.[/size]
[size=45]Activists from Mosul and Tikrit say that the factions run a group of commercial projects, including factories, malls, and entertainment facilities. They also provide protection for commercial interests within the city in exchange for collecting “taxes” for their regular activity. However, the minister believes that fatal accidents over the past years caused by projects from the This kind of affects the chances of those forces in the elections.[/size]
[size=45]In March 2019, dozens were killed after a tourist ferry sank in the width of the Tigris River. It belonged to an entertainment project run by influential figures connected to armed factions, some of whom had already participated in the liberation battles. Activists also linked the Hamdaniyah fire at the end of last month to suspicions of corruption related to a contract. The land on which the event hall was built.[/size]
[size=45]The former minister believes that voting in the liberated cities will increase with great enthusiasm this time, with the aim of limiting the influence of these groups and reducing their financial influence, especially in Nineveh Governorate, but these expectations cannot be relied upon now due to the variables that could occur until polling day[/size]
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