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Thread: Iraqi cleric al-Sadr leads in early vote results

  1. #1

    Iraqi cleric al-Sadr leads in early vote results

    Iraq's electoral commission says influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's alliance is the early front-runner in national elections, with official results in from just over half of the country's provinces.
    The announcement Sunday night comes a day after polls closed across Iraq. The results are from 10 of the country's 19 provinces, including Baghdad and Basra.
    An alliance of candidates with close ties to Iraq's powerful Shiite paramilitary groups are in a close second while Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has performed poorly across majority Shiite provinces that should have been his base of support.
    The election was marked by record low turnout. It was the first since Iraq declared victory over the Islamic State group and the fourth since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.

    More at: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/05...e-results.html
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

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    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

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    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
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  3. #2
    Moqtada al-Sadr was leading in Iraq's parliamentary election with over half of the votes counted, the electoral commission said on Sunday, pointing to a surprise comeback for the powerful Shi'ite cleric who had been sidelined by Iran-backed rivals.

    Shi'ite militia leader Hadi al-Amiri's bloc, which is backed by Tehran, was in second place, according to the count of over 95 percent of the votes cast in 10 of Iraq's 18 provinces.
    Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi appeared to be running third. Security and commission sources had earlier said he was leading the election, which was held on Saturday and is the first since the defeat of Islamic State militants inside the country.
    Turnout was 44.52 percent with 92 percent of votes counted, the Independent High Electoral Commission said - that was significantly lower than in previous elections. Full results are due to be officially announced on Monday.
    Sadr and Amiri both came in first in four of the 10 provinces where votes were counted, but the cleric's bloc won significantly more votes in the capital Baghdad, which has the highest number of seats.
    The commission did not announce how many seats each bloc had gained and said it would do so on Monday after announcing the results from the remaining provinces.
    Abadi, a rare ally of both the United States and Iran, came in third in six provinces but ran fifth in Baghdad.
    The results unexpectedly showed former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who was touted as a serious challenger to Abadi, lagging behind.
    The ranking of these blocs can still change with results yet to be announced from eight provinces, including Nineveh, which has the second-largest number of seats after Baghdad.

    More at: https://www.yahoo.com/news/pm-abadi-...075058645.html
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  4. #3
    LOL. It's going to be funny as hell when Iraq becomes one of the main countries defying the U.S. regarding Iran. The currently leadership is already much too friendly to Iran for Washington's tastes and has been since the fall of Saddam. The U.S. is its own worst enemy.
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    "We as a country have lost faith and confidence in freedom." -- Ron Paul

    "It can be a challenge to follow the pronouncements of President Trump, as he often seems to change his position on any number of items from week to week, or from day to day, or even from minute to minute." -- Ron Paul
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  5. #4
    Restart the Persian Empire

  6. #5
    Muqtada al-Sadr is not 'good' news.



    He makes REGULAR trips to Riyadh and is a staunch opponent of the patriotic PMU militia forces
    wanting them dismantled and 'absorbed' into 'regular' Iraqi military since day one.
    He had his 'own' militia but they were marginalized by the ever more effective PMU and popularized forces.

    Though a Shiite himself, he has his own 'brand' mal-contents,
    his own poverty stricken and economically depressed followers.
    He's a careful and shrewd player and was always leading 'protests' against the fractured Iraqi parliament
    and the 'privileged green zone' bootlicking political class aligned and subsidized with the West.
    He is capitalizing on the discontent and disenfranchised.

    He stumps for 'Iraqi sovereignty'...
    but in reality he's probably the worst choice to actually enable it because of his opposition to Tehran.
    A vote for al-Sadr (imo) is a vote for probable Civil War and sectarian strife between factions.

    Iraq is going to need help if it is ever going to be anything 'other' than a conquered vassal state of the hegemons.
    He represents the fracturing of the tri-partite Sovereigns: Syria-Iran-Iraq... just when it was getting off the ground.
    I can hear the west snickering in the background.
    Sad.

  7. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by goldenequity View Post
    Muqtada al-Sadr is not 'good' news.



    He makes REGULAR trips to Riyadh and is a staunch opponent of the patriotic PMU militia forces
    wanting them dismantled and 'absorbed' into 'regular' Iraqi military since day one.
    He had his 'own' militia but they were marginalized by the ever more effective PMU and popularized forces.

    Though a Shiite himself, he has his own 'brand' mal-contents,
    his own poverty stricken and economically depressed followers.
    He's a careful and shrewd player and was always leading 'protests' against the fractured Iraqi parliament
    and the 'privileged green zone' bootlicking political class aligned and subsidized with the West.
    He is capitalizing on the discontent and disenfranchised.

    He stumps for 'Iraqi sovereignty'...
    but in reality he's probably the worst choice to actually enable it because of his opposition to Tehran.
    A vote for al-Sadr (imo) is a vote for probable Civil War and sectarian strife between factions.

    Iraq is going to need help if it is ever going to be anything 'other' than a conquered vassal state of the hegemons.
    He represents the fracturing of the tri-partite Sovereigns: Syria-Iran-Iraq... just when it was getting off the ground.
    I can hear the west snickering in the background.
    Sad.
    If you are correct there may at least be a silver lining, perhaps we will finally leave to get out of the way of a civil war.
    If that happens we may be able to stay out.
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  8. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    If you are correct there may at least be a silver lining, perhaps we will finally leave to get out of the way of a civil war.
    If that happens we may be able to stay out.
    If you remember... PM Haider and parliament JUST passed a bill declaring that Iraq is giving 'notice'
    that the 'security forces' of the West were no longer needed nor required and that a timetable
    for complete withdrawal was to be established.
    We will see where that goes now.

    I believe al-Sadr is the epitome of controlled opposition.
    His rhetoric is against the 'occupiers'... but let's watch his actions...
    ESPECIALLY 'who' starts giving Iraq money for his needed 'reforms' and re-building.
    Last edited by goldenequity; 05-14-2018 at 06:49 PM.

  9. #8
    With 16 of 18 provinces counted, Sadr's Marching Towards Reform alliance, which includes Iraq' communists, was ahead in six and second in four regions.
    Next in the running was the Conquest Alliance, made up of ex-fighters from mainly Iran-backed paramilitary units that battled IS, with results putting them ahead in four provinces and second in eight others.
    The head of the list is Hadi al-Ameri, a long-time ally of Tehran, whose forces ended up battling alongside the US to oust the jihadists.
    Both Sadr and Ameri are political veterans well-known to Iraqis, but they pitched themselves as outsiders seeking to sweep clean the country's reviled elite.
    The complex electoral arithmetic of the Iraqi system, however, means that the final makeup of 329-seat parliament is still far from decided.
    In a televised address Monday afternoon, Abadi hailed the "winning lists" and called on all sides to "respect the results", after calls for a recount in the multi-ethnic province of Kirkuk.
    Election officials said that full final results could be announced in the next 24 hours.
    Whatever the outcome, there looks set to be lengthy horse-trading between the main political forces before any new premier and a coalition government can be installed.

    More at: https://www.yahoo.com/news/iraq-coun...103844387.html
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment



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  11. #9
    A document provided to Reuters by a candidate in Baghdad that was also circulating among journalists and analysts showed results from all 18 provinces.
    Reuters could not independently verify the document's authenticity but the results in it for the 16 announced provinces were in line with those announced by the commission.
    Reuters calculations based on the document showed Sadr had won the nationwide popular vote with over 1.3 million votes and gained around 54 of parliament's 329 seats.
    He was followed by Amiri with more than 1.2 million votes, translating into around 47 seats, and Abadi with more than 1 million votes and about 42 seats. Former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a close ally of Iran like Amiri, came in fourth with around 25 seats.
    The remaining uncounted ballots, mostly from Iraqis abroad, the security services, and internally displaced people voting in camps and elsewhere, might change the final seat tallies but only marginally.

    More at: https://www.yahoo.com/news/firebrand...004930909.html
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  12. #10
    al-Sadr wins with or without massive US election meddling?

  13. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by milgram View Post
    al-Sadr wins with or without massive US election meddling?
    If he is opposed to Iran and friends with Saudi Arabia, he probably got all the help he needed.
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    The views and opinions expressed here are solely my own, and do not represent this forum or any other entities or persons.

  14. #12
    Official results released May 19 show that a political coalition led by Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr won the most seats in Iraq's parliamentary election, Al Jazeera reported. Al-Sadr's electoral list captured 54 of 329 parliamentary seats, while the bloc led by Hadi al-Amiri, who has close ties with Iran, came in second with 47 seats and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's coalition took third place with 42 seats.

    More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situa...esults-confirm
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  15. #13
    The U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) said Tuesday that it only planned on staying in Iraq as long as it was welcome after an opponent of foreign military presence won local elections.
    The remarks come after a political bloc—comprised of Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, communists and others—managed to secure the plurality of votes in last week's Iraqi election, raising uncertainties for the future of the U.S. and other foreign militaries helping local forces battle the remnants of ISIS in the war-torn country. Italian army Brigadier General Roberto Vannacci, who serves as deputy commanding general for training the joint land forces component of the coalition, said there has been no change in policy yet, but if there was, it would be up to political leaders at home.
    "We are here by the request of the Iraqi government. And regardless of who won the election, I think that if this request will continue to be addressed to the coalition, the coalition will remain," Vannacci told reporters during a weekly press briefing at the Pentagon Tuesday.

    "As you know, we are military and we don't make these kind[s] of decisions. These are political decisions. So I think that whenever we will be told by the Iraqi government that we will have to leave, the politicians of our nations will take the right decision," he added.

    More at: https://www.yahoo.com/news/u-coaliti...215143707.html
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  16. #14
    Elijah J. Magnier /@ejmalrai
    Moqtada al Sadr “hopes Iran doesn’t intervene in Iraq and rejects any involvement of the US occupier”.
    Keep in mind Moqtada met Soleimani last week
    (see my article on Iraq)

    https://twitter.com/ejmalrai
    (one of my bookmarked favs... active informed twitter account... great dialog among the knowledgeable)
    Last edited by goldenequity; 05-29-2018 at 12:48 PM.

  17. #15
    Some newly elected Iraqi lawmakers, linked with populist Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr whose alliance won the elections last month, are not sure that Baghdad’s participation in the OPEC production cut deal is good for the country.

    Some new members-elect of Iraq’s parliament think that Iraq should be able to export as much crude oil as it wants, newly elected lawmakers and politicians allied to al-Sadr’s political bloc have told S&P Global Platts in interviews.


    One of the new Iraqi lawmakers-elect, Qusay al-Yassiri of al-Sadr’s Saeroon coalition, told Platts:
    “For sure Iraq’s share of exports should be unlimited so it can compensate for the low oil prices which have increased taxes on the people and workers.”
    Other new MPs are aiming at Iraq’s oil contracts with international companies—and this adds further uncertainty to the current investment climate in Iraq’s oil industry.
    “We intend to correct the uncorrected contracts or cancel them, and to only keep what is useful, whether they were license round contracts or those the oil minister has signed recently,” Rami al-Sukaini, who was elected on the Saeroon list representing the southern Basra province, told Platts.

    More at: https://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-G...OPEC-Deal.html
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  18. #16
    Iraq's parliament has voted to carry out a manual recount of votes cast in last month's legislative elections, amid allegations of widespread fraud.
    MPs also replaced the leadership of the election commission and annulled the votes of overseas and displaced Iraqis.
    On Tuesday, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi warned that security agencies had evidence of "unprecedented" violations.
    He said the main issue was with the electronic vote-counting machines that were used for the first time on 12 May.
    It is unclear whether Wednesday's vote will affect the outcome of the election.

    More at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-44390092
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment



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  20. #17
    Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr called on Friday for a nationwide disarmament campaign and announced his Baghdad stronghold would be first to disarm just two days after an ammunitions cache exploded there and killed 18 people.Sadr, whose political bloc won Iraq's parliamentary election in May, called on all armed groups to hand in their weapons to the government and declared Baghdad's Sadr City district would be a weapons-free area later this month.

    "Everyone must obey the orders and not stand in the way of this initiative. Everyone should hand over their weapons without any discussion because the blood of Iraqis is more valuable to us than anything else," he told his supporters in a statement.

    The move appeared to be aimed at easing tensions between Sadr and the government.

    At least 18 people were killed and over 90 wounded as a result of the detonation of an ammunitions cache in Sadr City just hours after parliament mandated a nationwide recount of votes for the May election, a measure rejected by Sadr's bloc.

    Sadr had urged his followers to remain calm after the explosion and ordered his office to investigate the incident.

    Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, whose bloc came in third, said storing ammunition in a residential area was a crime and ordered the Interior Ministry to investigate the incident and take legal action against those who had done so.

    Some of Sadr's political opponents had suggested the ammunitions cache belonged to his Saraya al-Salam (Peace Companies) militia.

    The Interior Ministry released a statement on Friday thanking Sadr for his announcement.

    More at: https://www.usnews.com/news/world/ar...ent-initiative
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  21. #18
    Ha. If I lived in Iraq... giving up my weapon would be the LAST thing I would do.

  22. #19
    RECOUNT (this is a serious development/bodes 4 civil unrest ahead...)

    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    Iraq's parliament has voted to carry out a manual recount of votes cast in last month's legislative elections, amid allegations of widespread fraud.
    MPs also replaced the leadership of the election commission and annulled the votes of overseas and displaced Iraqis.
    On Tuesday, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi warned that security agencies had evidence of "unprecedented" violations.
    He said the main issue was with the electronic vote-counting machines that were used for the first time on 12 May.
    It is unclear whether Wednesday's vote will affect the outcome of the election.

    More at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-44390092
    good article...
    A weak and divided Iraq is stumbling towards an unbalanced future
    https://ejmagnier.com/2018/06/08/a-w...lanced-future/


    the parliament’s decision to:
    ►annul the votes overseas from displaced Iraqis,
    ►cancel over 954 ballots covering 10 provinces,
    ►and manually recount the 12 May elections

    will create a backfire, particularly by the movement led by Moqtada al-Sadr. Al-Sadr,
    apparently holding the largest number of MPs (54 seats although unofficial),
    will consider this to be a move directed mainly against him particularly when this same group is accused, among other things,
    of being responsible for major fraud in Baghdad and in the south of Iraq.

    ======

    The essence and takeaway of the article:
    Iraq will remain weak.
    Nobody wants a 'strong' Iraq, each for their own separate reasons.
    Last edited by goldenequity; 06-09-2018 at 09:05 AM.

  23. #20


    BREAKING Fire hits Iraq's biggest ballot warehouse before recount: security official
    https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1005801179710984192


  24. #21
    Quote Originally Posted by goldenequity View Post


    BREAKING Fire hits Iraq's biggest ballot warehouse before recount: security official
    https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1005801179710984192

    So what is the point? Will they hold another vote or accept the first results because they can't have a recount?
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  25. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by Swordsmyth View Post
    So what is the point? Will they hold another vote or accept the first results because they can't have a recount?
    The battle hardened, patriotic PMUs still hold
    1. their weapons
    2. substantial political power and popularity across the country.
    3. support within the 'regular' military

    al-Sadar's attempt at disarming them will never succeed (especially now)

    The recount would have deposed him so he burned the ballots.

    A fresh vote will depose him guaranteed (imo) but it buys him time.

    A 'civil' war would depose him... PMU's would kick asss.

    His only real power is hegemon support & running terror plots inside Baghdad.
    acts of violence that are designed to resemble 'grassroots' dissent..
    a marketplace here... a suicide bombing there.
    Manipulating the poverty stricken & creating dissent with rhetoric is what he's good at.

    If I had to wager... I'd say Iraq must vote again... if they don't... Baghdad's power
    will face regional resistance/fracturing and defiance in money flows/taxes
    and oil spigots/pipelines sabotaged or ransomed/commandeered.

    The good news is that Moqtada has not had time to consolidate power.
    He's a proxy for Riyadh against Tehran
    and a thorn in the side of the sovereign resistance against the hegemons.
    I want to see a strong Syria/Iran/Iraq alliance and recovery...
    but it may never happen.
    Israel forbids it.
    Last edited by goldenequity; 06-11-2018 at 07:02 AM.

  26. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by goldenequity View Post
    The battle hardened, patriotic PMUs still hold
    1. their weapons
    2. substantial political power and popularity across the country.
    3. support within the 'regular' military

    al-Sadar's attempt at disarming them will never succeed (especially now)

    The recount would have deposed him so he burned the ballots.

    A fresh vote will depose him guaranteed (imo) but it buys him time.

    A 'civil' war would depose him... PMU's would kick asss.

    His only real power is hegemon support & running terror plots inside Baghdad.
    acts of violence that are designed to resemble 'grassroots' dissent..
    a marketplace here... a suicide bombing there.
    Manipulating the poverty stricken & creating dissent with rhetoric is what he's good at.

    If I had to wager... I'd say Iraq must vote again... if they don't... Baghdad's power
    will face regional resistance/fracturing and defiance in money flows/taxes
    and oil spigots/pipelines sabotaged or ransomed/commandeered.

    The good news is that Moqtada has not had time to consolidate power.
    He's a proxy for Riyadh against Tehran
    and a thorn in the side of the sovereign resistance against the hegemons.
    I want to see a strong Syria/Iran/Iraq alliance and recovery...
    but it may never happen.
    Israel forbids it.
    Provoking civil war may have been the plan all along.
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  27. #24
    Four electoral lists, including Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and Iranian-backed militia chief Hadi al-Amiri, announced they will form a political alliance between their blocs, Reuters reported June 12.

    More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situa...tical-alliance
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment



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  29. #25
    In the month since Iraq's May 12 parliamentary elections, leaders of various political coalitions, or "lists" as they're called, have been negotiating to form larger alliances to gain legislative power. On June 12, leaders of two of the largest electoral lists, Sairoon and Fatah, announced that they had established an alliance, which will help shape the future of Iraqi politics. The leader of Sairoon, cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, noted that his group's previously announced alliances with the Hikma list and Vice President Ayad Allawi's Wataniya list still stand.
    Together, Sairoon and Fatah (led by politician and militia leader Hadi al-Amiri) won the most seats in the May 12 elections. If their new alliance, which currently holds a combined 142 seats, can add another 23 seats from the other dozen or so lists, they would have a parliamentary majority. (The total number of seats in parliament is 329).
    The Sairoon-Fatah alliance is shaping up to be the loudest voice in parliament, inviting several key questions. First up: Once the negotiations settle, who will take over aIraq's most powerful political office, that of the prime minister? Sairoon leader al-Sadr did not run for parliament, which means he cannot become prime minister. And in order for incumbent Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to retain his position, his Nasr coalition (42 seats) would likely need to join the Sairoon-Fatah agreement. Other possibilities include Allawi — likely as a consensus candidate — or Fatah leader al-Amiri himself.
    As for how Sairoon and Fatah will get enough allies to have a parliamentary majority, the integration of the Nasr coalition is one possibility. Another option is the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), which has 25 seats. Both al-Sadr and al-Amiri have recently held working meetings with the KDP, suggesting they may be engaging in coalition negotiations. Notably, former Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki's list, the 26-person State of Law coalition, is not part of the new alliance, even though al-Amiri and Maliki are the strongest allies of Iran among the election's victors. But since Maliki is engaged in disputes with both al-Sadr and Allawi, his exclusion makes sense.

    More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/artic...ntary-majority
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  30. #26
    You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Swordsmyth again.

    ========

    Military commanders from Iraq, Syria, Iran, Russia meet in Baghdad
    https://www.almasdarnews.com/article...et-in-baghdad/
    Last edited by goldenequity; 06-14-2018 at 07:26 AM.

  31. #27
    Iraq’s Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a disputed law ordering a hand recount of the ballots from last month’s national elections after widespread allegations of fraud embarrassed political leaders and marred the initial result. What was supposed to mark the start of a new era for Iraq has turned into a political crisis as the charges of vote tampering grew too loud for Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi’s government to ignore.
    The May 12 election was the first since Iraq declared victory over the Islamic State group, which was in control of one-third of Iraqi territory just three years ago. But the euphoria over that milestone was quickly overshadowed by the charges of voter irregularities that surfaced on the day of the election and grew louder in the weeks that followed.
    Adding to the outcry was a suspicious fire days after Parliament ordered the recount that burned down a warehouse believed to contain some of the ballots cast by Baghdad voters.


    The Interior Ministry said the June 10 blaze was confined to a storage unit holding the electronic machinery introduced in the election to speed up the vote count and protect against ballot stuffing, and insisted the ballots were secure. But eyewitness reports said some ballots were charred and others soaked as firefighters battled the blaze.
    A hand recount of all 11 million ballots could take weeks, if not longer, and promises to delay the already sluggish process of forming a new government.
    Still, the populist preacher Muqtada al-Sadr, who came in a surprise first place in the vote, called on his supporters to respect the recount ruling.
    “I call on everyone to show restraint and deference to the law, even if they are not convinced by it,” al-Sadr said in a statement.
    Thursday’s Supreme Court decision upheld a law ordering a recount passed by Parliament after the initial results showed that two-thirds of current lawmakers would lose their seats. The timing of the law’s passage led President Fuad Masum and the national elections commission to charge lawmakers with political interference.
    But the Supreme Court ruled that the legislation was broadly constitutional and endorsed an order to replace the Independent Elections Commission with a panel of nine judges to supervise a recount. The commission, disputing the fraud allegations, had refused to conduct one of its own.
    However, the court rejected a measure invalidating all ballots cast abroad and by Iraqis displaced by recent conflict. Chief Justice Medhat al-Mahmoud said that sweeping measure was unjust to voters who cast legitimate ballots.
    An estimated 3 million Iraqis live in displaced persons camps, and international groups urged authorities to take measures to ensure they could vote. Many were driven from their homes during battles against the Islamic State group, and are presumed to be overwhelmingly Sunni, reinforcing the perception that they are being marginalized by the Shiite-dominated government in Baghdad.

    More at: https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-...ainted-result/
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  32. #28
    Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr have announced that their blocs are joining forces in a bid to create a new government after weeks of political tensions following last month's parliamentary elections.
    Sadr's Sairoon Alliance won 54 seats in the May vote to become the largest bloc in Iraq's 329-seat parliament, while Abadi's alliance - once seen as a frontrunner - came in third, with just 42 seats.
    After a three-hour meeting on Saturday in the Shia holy city of Najaf, the two men issued issued a joint statement announcing they had set up a coalition.
    The statement said their alliance "transcends sectarianism and ethnic" issues "in order to speed up the formation of the new government and agree on the principles which serve the aspirations of our people".
    "We announce a cross-sectarian, cross-ethnic alliance to speed up forming the next government and to agree on common points that guarantee the interests of the Iraqi people," Sadr said at a news conference after the meeting.


    The joint statement did not mention an alliance al-Sadr formed earlier this month with the pro-Iranian former fighters under Hadi al-Amiri, whose list came second in the election with 47 seats.
    There was no immediate reaction from al-Amiri's camp, but al-Abadi said his pact with al-Sadr would not compromise the Shia leader's other alliance.

    "I affirm that this alliance is not in contrast to any other alliances either of the two lists have previously entered into with other blocs, rather, it flows in the same direction and same principles," said the prime minister
    The top three winning blocs, all Shia-led, have upwards of 140 seats between them. At least 165 seats are needed to form a government although traditionally the ruling bloc in parliament tends to be larger so as to include Sunni Arab and Kurdish politicians.

    More at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/...210258947.html
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  33. #29
    Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, whose political bloc came first in a May parliamentary election, said on Thursday he was scaling back his militia to strengthen the incoming government and its security forces.The cleric's list won the most seats in an election marred by low turnout and allegations of fraud.

    He is currently embroiled in negotiations with the heads of other blocs over forming the next government, in which he is expected to play a leading role.

    Sadr said in a handwritten order published on his website that his Saraya al-Salam (Peace Companies) militia must disband in all cities except for the capital Baghdad and the cities of Karbala and Samarra, both homes to holy Shi'ite shrines.

    The cleric had earlier this month called for a nationwide disarmament campaign after an arms cache exploded in his stronghold district of Sadr City in Baghdad, killing 18 people. Political opponents said the cache had belonged to his militia.

    His Thursday order called on his men to store arms in a manner that protects civilians. All the militia's leaders except those in the three named cities were prohibited from "activities on the ground".

    Sadr said the militia was also now banned from conducting any operation outside Iraq, and all weapons received from the government and its security forces were to be returned.

    More at: https://www.usnews.com/news/world/ar...ck-his-militia
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

  34. #30
    Iraq's government has certified the results of the country's May election, giving parties 90 days to create coalitions and form a government, Al Jazeera reported Aug. 20.

    More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situa...uilding-begins
    Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and annoys the pig.

    Robert Heinlein

    Give a man an inch and right away he thinks he's a ruler

    Groucho Marx

    I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.

    Linus, from the Peanuts comic

    You cannot have liberty without morality and morality without faith

    Alexis de Torqueville

    Those who fail to learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.
    Those who learn from the past are condemned to watch everybody else repeat it

    A Zero Hedge comment

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