BAGHDAD — Iraq's parliamentary elections last month
shuffled the key players, with the movement of Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr
taking nearly a fifth of seats, according to results released Tuesday.
اضافة اعلان
But without an absolute majority in the fragmented 329-seat
legislature, parties will have to form alliances.
Here is an overview of some of the most important figures.
Sadrist movement
Led by firebrand Sadr, the movement won 73 seats in
parliament, expanding its haul from 54 in the outgoing parliament.
Sadr is the scion of an influential clerical family. He
raised a rebellion after the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, and has now
reinvented himself as a reform champion.
A self-styled defender against all forms of corruption, Sadr
has distinguished himself from other top Shiite figures by seeking distance
from both Iranian and US influence.
Pro-Iran factions
The Fatah (Conquest) Alliance parliamentary grouping, the
political arm of the Shiite Hashed al-Shaabi former paramilitary force, saw its
representation plummet from 48 to 17 seats.
The alliance had made its debut in parliament following the
last election in 2018, shortly after the Hashed helped defeat Daesh.
The alliance's leader Hadi Al-Ameri also heads the Badr
organisation, one of the Hashed factions.
Hashed leaders had earlier rejected the preliminary results
as a "scam", and their supporters held street protests chanting
"No to fraud".
The alliance has consistently called for the expulsion of US
troops from Iraq.
Another pro-Iran faction is the State of Law Alliance, an
offshoot of the Daawa Party, both led by Nuri Al-Maliki, who was prime minister
from 2006 to 2014.
A surprise outcome for this Hashed partner saw it strengthen
its political base from 24 to 33 seats.
Independents
The all-new Alliance of State Forces brings together the
groups of former prime minister Haider Al-Abadi, who led the fight against
Daesh, and Ammar Al-Hakim, who leads the moderates in the Shiite camp.
With a meagre four seats, they have lost their clout, after
having earned 42 and 19 seats respectively in the previous polls.
In addition, 43 candidates unaffiliated to political parties
have been elected as "independents".
However, experts believe some may end up being co-opted by
the major parties.
Sunni groups
The Taqaddum (Progress) movement, led by Speaker of
Parliament Mohammed Al-Halbussi, won 37 seats in parliament.
That makes it the second-largest force in the chamber.
He was elected speaker with the support of the pro-Iran
blocs, but has cultivated relations with regional powers including the UAE.
Taqaddum's main Sunni competitor is the Azm (Determination)
movement of controversial politician Khamis Al-Khanjar, who has been sanctioned
by the US amid accusations of corruption. Azm won 14 seats.
Anti-establishment players
Imtidad, a newly created party representing the protest
movement that began in 2019, took nine seats.
The party presents itself as "a non-sectarian,
anti-nationalist, anti-racist political movement, which seeks to build a
civilian state".
It is popular in the city of Nasiriyah, the epicenter of the
demonstrations in the poor Shiite south.
The Kurds
Autonomous Kurdistan, in northern Iraq, has long been
dominated by two parties.
The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) of the Barzani clan,
won 31 seats.
The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) of the Talabani clan
took 17, under the Coalition of Kurdistan banner.
Kurdish opposition party New Generation jumped from four to
nine seats.
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