Iraq: Concerns and Cheers Surface in Post-Election Iraq

Despite international kudos for last week’s parliamentary elections in Iraq, many Iraqis are reportedly growing increasingly frustrated with the slow pace at which the votes are being tallied. Though some officials cite technical difficulties for the purported delay while others point to the electoral commission’s many checks, Western officials have nonetheless privately expressed concern that the absence of clear results in a timely matter can have negative repercussions on the credibility of the elections.

In the meanwhile, Iraq’s Arab neighbors are also anxiously awaiting the outcomes, hoping that any coalition government formed by a likely Shiite front-runners will not be unduly influenced by Iran. Magid Mazloum of the Center for Gulf Studies in Cairo summed up Sunni fears: “These election results show that there is a Shi’ite wave in the region which threatens Arab security in the region. Iran has a hidden role in the Arab region and it supports Shi’ite elements in the area, particularly in Iraq.”

With a quarter of the results in, no party has thus far garnered an overwhelming proportion of the vote though current Prime Minister Nuri-al Maliki appears to be in the lead. This is a positive development, according to the Washington Post‘s David Ignatius. “The best thing about Sunday’s election, judging from early results, is that no party won so big that it can form a government on its own.” He continued, “This will be democracy Iraq-style, something closer to a day spent haggling in the souk than a visit to the Lincoln Memorial.” Charles Dunne agrees, explaining that “far from creating chaos, the government formation process, difficult and lengthy though it may be, might very well yield a more broadly representative and vigorous government.”

In similar news, famed neoconservative Joshua Muravchik, writes an intriguing piece in World Affairs, heaping unbridled self-criticism on the movement for its “infatuation with Ahmad Chalabi.” He concludes, arguing that “the games Chalabi is playing are a threat both to Iraq’s prospects for democracy, as well as to America’s interests in the region.”