Leading secular and liberal groups have launched a counter-attack against what they say is the undue influence of hard-line Shia Islamists and Iran’s theocracy on the formation of Iraq’s new government.
As Iraq’s political gridlock worsened on Monday, there was growing opposition to the candidature of Ibrahim al-Jaafari, a conservative Islamist with suspected links to Tehran, for Iraqi prime minister, and the prospect of a damaging rebellion from within the victorious Shia alliance that nominated him.
Talks between the main Kurdish and Shia blocs over a coalition government also took a knock when the interim Iraqi President, Gazi al-Yawar, a Sunni Arab, announced he will not become the speaker of Parliament.
The National Assembly is due to meet on Tuesday morning for only the second time since the January 30 elections. But, to the frustration of ordinary Iraqis, there will still be no government. Some senior positions may be announced but not the full Cabinet.
In the latest twist in the protracted process of forming the first freely elected administration in decades, it emerged that senior liberal and secular politicians had been meeting behind the scenes to see whether they could mount a ”Stop Jaafari” campaign.
Despite repeated public assurances from Jaafari that he will not seek to impose sharia law, there are worries among mainstream Iraqis that a government dominated by the two main Shia parties could further heighten divisions and intolerance in a country that has a strong tradition of secularism.
Public disquiet has grown after a group of students were attacked in Basra last week by Shia militiamen; Christian-run alcohol shops have been closed in many places outside the Kurdish-run north; and barbers have been killed for giving Western-style haircuts.
A senior official close to the discussions, which involved prominent secular-minded Shia, Kurdish and Sunni figures, said: ”There is no intention of disregarding the election results and excluding the Islamists from the political process … But it would be very dangerous if they or the clerics of Iran were allowed to be in the driving seat.”
In the shifting sands of Iraqi politics, the liberals have also found an unlikely ally in their campaign against Jaafari in the shape of Moqtada al-Sadr. A group inside the victorious Shia-led alliance, calling itself the Independent National Bloc, is sympathetic to the firebrand cleric.
They claim to control 24 Assembly seats within the Shia alliance (the United Iraqi Alliance, or UIA, controls 148) and have threatened to withdraw from the alliance, saying they have been marginalised by Jaafari.
The Sadrist bloc says it is also suspicious of the two main UIA parties — the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (Sciri) and Dawa — for their strong links with Iran. The UIA also contains a number of Sunni and liberal members who are unhappy about Jaafari’s perceived Islamism.
At the weekend, interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, whose secular pan-Iraqi list came third in the elections and who is still considering calls to join the new government, fired an unprecedented broadside against the powerful Shia religious clergy, headed by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.
”Thrusting the religious establishment into daily political affairs could distance it from its guiding role and disrupt relations between the political forces,” a statement from his party said.
Ayatollah Sistani has been praised for his support for the electoral process, which has empowered the long-oppressed Shia. But secular Shia in particular were disappointed at his apparently partisan support for the UIA list.
Qassem Dawoud, the National Security Adviser and an ally of Allawi, said: ”Iraqis are mostly Muslims, but this is not an Islamic republic and it never will be. The people won’t accept it. I trust that Mr Jaafari has the wisdom to see that.”
According to a memorandum of understanding between the prospective coalition partners, Islam is mentioned as ”a” source of legislation, rather than ”the” source.
Jaafari has also said he will not permit any outside interference in Iraq’s affairs.
The leaders of the UIA dismiss talk of clerical interference as paranoia.
”We have so many problems to face in Iraq, right now. Fighting over sharia law would not be sensible now,” said a Sciri official.
On Monday, insurgents continued to target Iraqi security forces and members of the Shia community, killing at least 15 people. — Guardian Unlimited Â