Opposition alliance aims to become an alternative for better governance in Iraq

07-01-2022 01:16
Shaswar Abdulwahid and Alaa Al-Rikabi at the time of signing the alliance between them

PEREGRAF- Farman Sadiq

The Kurdish New Generation and Iraqi Emtidad movements on December 14 formed a 28-member opposition group in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad known as the Alliance For the People - the first Kurdish-Iraqi alliance in the House of Representatives.

"The alliance has no secret clauses, there are no red lines for anything, as we will not join any party and we do not oppose anyone at another person’s expense, our views and goals are one and we will work as one team in parliament," Nissan Abdulraza Salihi, an elected MP from the alliance told Peregraf.

"We have reached an agreement on our aims, as Alliance For the People to work for all Iraqis from Kurdistan to Fao," said Salihi. "We consider the Kurdistan Region as part of Iraq, and we will work with the same spirit in the Iraqi parliament for the demands of the people of Kurdistan, like how we will do it for residents of all other provinces of Iraq."

Salihi added they will equally work on bills that are in the interest of the Kurds but priorities will be determined by all members - which are nine elected MPs from New Generation and nine MPs from Emtidad, and ten independents.

Masoud Abdulkhaliq, a political analyst, believes the alliance demonstrates that Iraqi parties are no longer confined to sectarian and nationalist ideologies, and that the worn-out political frame of Iraq is changing towards becoming a citizen-oriented state.

Abdulkhaliq explained agreements between Kurds and Arabs are important, provided it is clear and transparent, despite their difference in perspectives.

"They say we have an agreement, but it is not clear what the content of the agreement is. The political grounds of both the New Generation and Emtidad are weak in Kurdistan and Baghdad," he said, adding that it seems both are two sides "with no support."

The political observer also noted that the ruling parties of the Kurdistan Region and Iraq will cause problems for the alliance and prevent them from raising a critical voice by putting them under immense pressure.

"But in any case, their existence is better than non-existence, and what is interesting is that they introduced themselves as opposition," Abdulkhaliq said.

The Emtidad movement, led by Alaa Al-Rikabi, a young doctor from Nasiriyah, was formed within the heart of the Tishreen (October) protests in Baghdad, Nasiriyah and other cities in 2019. In the October 10 elections this year, it won nine seats.

Rikabi at a press conference in Baghdad with the New Generation said they want to be an alternative for the 18-year-old Iraqi government in the future. "We hope to get more seats in the next elections to take power."

Shaswar Abdulwahid, head of New Generation who also leads the coalition at the presser said what the alliance aims to achieve are protesters’ demands in addition to "The [Kurdistan] Region's salaries, leveling up Peshmerga salaries with the Iraqi army’s, Article 140 and solving the issue of disputed areas are among the principles of Alliance For the People."

Shiite parties, particularly the Sadrist Movement which has won the most seats, and other parties that play leading roles in the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi in Arabic) and are considered closer to Iran, such as the Fatah Alliance and the State of Law Coalition are those progressively fighting for positions within the new cabinet.

Ahmed al-Abyadh, an Iraqi political analyst and one of the voices of the 2019 protests who left Iraq because of threats he was receiving, says that no force can own the "Tishreen Revolution" therefore the Emtidad movement "cannot be the real representative of the Tishreen Revolution and oppose Iran or its presence in Iraq, but the New Generation is a real opposition, and there are routes of opposition in the Kurdistan [Region], which was previously owned by the Change movement."

"The alliance should know themselves better, to be tough in the face of government pressure, because they have a good chance at becoming a real opposition, provided they endure the immense pressure that will be put on them in the future," said Abyadh.

"The situation in Iraq has been controlled by traditional forces, so any force that wants to get out of it will pay a big price, and the alliance that wants to get out of it must endure these pressures," he added.

Members of Alliance For the People have signed an agreement in which everyone promises to stay in the alliance, be opposition and not work for personal interests and all efforts made should be to serve the people.

New Generation in their first participation in Iraqi elections won four seats in 2018, but due to internal problems within the movement, they never entered parliament. "In the current and previous terms, the New Generation has been offered ministerial positions, but we have refused, because we are not going to Baghdad for position and money," its spokesperson, Himdad Shahin, told Peregraf.

The alliance has not yet published their agenda or priorities for parliament, only that they consider themselves a strong opposition force.

Apart from the New Generation, no other Kurdish party has been able to form a coalition. The ruling Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Kurdistan Patriotic Union (PUK) parties of the Kurdistan Region, as well as the Kurdistan Justice Group (Komal), formerly known as the Kurdistan Islamic Group, failed to reach an agreement to work as one team to participate in discussions of forming a new cabinet.

The New Generation spokesperson explained that they have proposed their ideas to the PUK and KDP to work for in Baghdad once the new cabinet is formed, which consists of "the issue of civil servants' salaries, leveling up Peshmerga salaries with the Iraqi army’s and the issue of Article 140, but PUK and KDP are going to Baghdad for the position, that’s why they have not yet responded to  New Generation," he said.

Kurdish seats have increased in the parliament that is supposed to hold its first session in January - they have secured a total of 63 seats out of 329. But Iraq’s senior posts after the fall of the Baathist regime led by Saddam Hussein, have been divided between three components; the post of the prime minister as the highest executive authority for Shiites, the speaker of parliament for Sunnis, and president of Iraq for the Kurds.

The KDP and PUK have been in a war of words on their affiliated media outlets since after the October 10 parliamentary elections, each one considers the post of the president of the republic to be their right.

"From now on, the presidency post will be determined by the New Generation, and none of the Kurdish parties will be able to determine the post without the New Generation," party spokesperson Himdad Shahin said on Facebook. "The New Generation decides who the next president will be," he added. 

Shahin reiterated to Peregraf that they will become a force of pressure to implement their projects, and that when they do not join the government, it does not mean that they cannot work on them. "The PUK and the KDP have been in the Iraqi government for 18 years, what have they done for Article 140? We want to propose the projects we have reached an agreement on as our aim in this alliance," he said.

The new alliance, however, is a glimpse of hope. "It is difficult for the corrupt Iraqi parties to allow the alliance to continue, but if they can, they will be the first national step towards a better future," Abyadh said.