After more than ten marathon sessions and repetitive failures to endorse an election law, the fierce strife among the sectarian and ethnocentric forces ended in passing a sectarian and ethnocentric election law. This law is a continuation of the ongoing political process, which started with the occupation of Iraq.

The issue of Kirkuk was an obstacle before endorsing the law. It was an obstacle before reaching an agreement and a major cause of conflict among sectarian and Arab and Kurd ethnocentric forces. This was the strife among forces and political currents for dividing their shares in wealth, oil, power, and influence and to slaughter the residents of this city on the shambles of their ugly interests. It is the strife to impose identities and repulsive and anti-human sentiments against all the residents of the city of Kirkuk.  The goals of this strife have nothing to do with the lives, security and prosperity of the residents of the city.

This infamous law came to existence as a result of secret agreements and compromises among sectarian and ethnocentric forces and agreements and compromises between Malki and Barzani with the brokering role of America and its ambassador to Austria.

This law clearly reflects the interests of the forces and parliamentarian blocks, which do not represent the masses of people in Iraq. It represents the forces which have thrown the masses into the inferno of sectarian fight, killings on ethnic and sectarian identities, forced displacement, detention on basis of groundless allegations and tragedies and suffering during the last six years.

This law was endorsed without any intervention or say by the masses of people and without listening to the voice of the representatives of worker’s, women’s and youth organizations.  This law was forged by the current sectarian and ethnocentric parliament and presidential council to maintain and consolidate divisions on religious and ethnic basis. It reflects the interests and struggle among regional and international forces and their influence on the course of political conditions in Iraq.

This law denies the Iraqi citizens the right to intervene in the elections as citizens who vote for the candidates according to economic, political and social programs that they aspire to. It pushes them to vote for political identities on the basis of ethnic and sectarian affiliation.

We in the Worker-communist Party of Iraq have put forward our standards and criteria for a free election which guarantees a conscious and free participation by the masses of people away from any form of blackmail, bribed votes and violence or terrorism against voters. The law said nothing about using these methods, which are unacceptable in any election recognized as real and free in the contemporary world. There was no mention of prohibiting the forces of Sunni and Shiite political Islam and Arab and Kurd ethnocentric groups from deepening religious and ethnic bigotry during the election and influencing the voters on this basis.

We believe that endorsing this law on basis of multiple electoral districts is a policy designed intentionally to be compatible with the ethnic, tribal and sectarian system imposed on Iraq today. This was adopted to firmly establish the current political situation and the new coalitions formed lately and to meet the opposing interests and strategies of America, Iran and other regional states in Iraq.

Obviously the cities in Iraq starting from Zaxo in the north to Fao in the south are cities occupied by armed militia. Ethnic and sectarian militias have an upper hand in determining, in advance, the result of the elections even before they have taken place. As the cities are divide according to the current political process to Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish cities, that is to say according to ethnic and sectarian identities, the result of the elections is decided in advance in favor of forces which control the power in these cities through violence and militia. Such a law is a blatant perpetuation of power-sharing on ethnic and sectarian basis, which is fiercely denied by the Islamic and ethnocentric forces in their election campaigns. This law destroys the principle of equal citizenship.

The masses of people in Iraq insisted on endorsement of open list voting system so that they know the candidates in the election, however this achievement was made void by adopting the multiple electoral districts system. Voting according to the multiple electoral districts in the current situation of Iraq achieves the goals of the ethnocentric and sectarian forces depending on the tribal, ethnocentric and sectarian militias. This system is totally against the interests of workers, civilized and freedom loving masses of people in Iraq who do not identify themselves on sectarian and tribal lines.

Regarding “decedents” of Christianity, Sebean, Yazidi and Shabak as “minorities” is the continuation of the sectarian and ethnocentric policies that the Islamic and ethnocentric parties have built their rule on their basis. It contradicts the principle of equal citizenship and representation on political and civil basis.

The decision to grant unoccupied seats to the victorious lists is blatant and lawful piracy of people’s votes and granting them to the sectarian and ethnocentric blocks against the will of the voters themselves. It is brazen disregard for the view and vote of people and the parties that participate in the election. Regardless of other parts of this law, this article is a clear and intentional disregard for the will of voters and parties who participate in the election that is unacceptable.

Keeping age of candidacy at 30 deprives millions of youth from representation in Parliament. This is a regressing step in the struggle of people who have made headway in endorsing the age of 18 as the age of voting and candidacy. Also making high school certificate as a condition to accept candidacy prevents large number of workers from the right to nominate themselves as candidates.

The result of the election, if conducted according to this law, will be a knockout blow to the rights and endeavors of the masses of people who try to build a non-ethnocentric and non sectarian political regime based on the will of the voters and their rights as civil citizens. The new election law is a blow to the endeavor to build a political system aimed to provide a better atmosphere to further the struggle of masses of people and to advance the political struggle of the working class.

In regards to the parliament, the system which serves the basic aspirations of the masses in Iraq is the open voting list, regarding Iraq as one electoral district, not granting votes of the parties who have not achieved the minimum quota to any other party, endorsing the age of 18 as the legal age for voting and candidacy and securing conditions and circumstances suitable to hold elections where no form of blackmail, terrorism and bribed voting takes places.

We strongly condemn this law, which is also totally condemned and rejected by the masses of people in Iraq including all socialist, leftist, progressive and secular forces.  We call on the masses of people to firmly stand against this law and to launch a wide political and mass struggle to abolish it. The law is today before the presidential council, if it is adopted in the current form the Worker-communist party of Iraq will have a different stand on the coming elections.

Political Bureau

Worker-communist Party of Iraq

11th November 2009.      

www.wpiraq.net