Iraqi Provincial Elections

Disenchantment With Politics Mars Poll

   

Record low turnout, stemming from deep-seated distrust of politicians, casts shadow over provincial elections.

By IWPR-trained reporters (ICR No. 283, 6-Feb-09)

Iraqis who shunned the country’s first election in over three years said they were disillusioned with politics and felt their votes would not make a difference.

Fewer people voted in last week’s provincial elections than in any other election since the US-led invasion. Turnout was higher when Iraqi voters faced daily car bombs and sectarian killings.

Last week’s record low turnout took place despite improvements in security and a combined effort by the electoral commission, candidates and the media to encourage voters.

Many Iraqis informally polled by IWPR in Baghdad, Basra, Anbar and Karbala said they were hesitant about casting ballots in future polls, indicating a deep-seated mistrust of Iraqi politics.

Ahead of the election, polls and officials predicted voter turnout ranging between 70 and 80 per cent. On polling day, just 51 per cent of registered voters cast ballots in the 14 provinces where elections were held.

Turnout was reportedly lowest in Baghdad and in Anbar, a Sunni Arab-dominated province where only an estimated 40 per cent of voters took part in the poll. The turnout figures there were surprising given that the nationwide elections were mainly held to boost Sunni Arab representation in provincial councils. Sunni Arabs largely boycotted the January 2005 provincial elections.

Iraqis who did not vote said they were frustrated with local corruption and the poor performance of the current councils which have been in power for four years. Many say they despaired of politics long ago and were unaware of the positions, parties or candidates seeking provincial council seats.

Sana Ghazi, a kindergarten teacher in the Iraqi capital, argued the provincial councils do not hold substantial power and complained that Baghdad’s council has fallen short in what she saw as its primary duty: providing services.

Politicians “enjoy money and power, and in the end we will be the victims”, she said. “We shouldn’t bother going to vote”.

Voter apathy was evident well before the poll, when Iraqis ignored widely-publicised voter registration drives.

As a result, some people went to the wrong polling stations or discovered their names were not included on updated voter lists, but election officials said the problems did not significantly affect turnout. Qasim al-Aboudi, a senior elections official, said “very few” voters had difficulties finding their polling stations.

“Fifty-one per cent is a high turnout by international standards,” he said. “Even in the US there is not always such turnout."

Those who did go to the polls expressed similar frustrations as those who did not vote and threw out incumbents across the country.

Many who did not vote said they will wait to see how the government performs before deciding whether to cast ballots in future elections.

The slow pace of reconstruction has angered many here. Muhammad Radhi, a 33-year-old Basra resident, boycotted the polls because he “could not find anyone who represents me”.

“You can see the areas where the governor and members of parliament live – they are very well-cared for. [Infrastructure] projects in other areas all failed,” he said. “They could not to provide us with services. There is no power in summer or in winter.”

In stark contrast with voter apathy, enthusiasm ran high among candidates. Over 14,400 Iraqis ran for the 440 seats that were at stake. The sheer number of candidates was overwhelming for some voters.

Hassan Zighayyir, a 66-year-old pensioner in Baghdad, sat out the elections because he feared electing an unqualified leader. He admitted he was not well-informed about most of the candidates but also indicated that he was not particularly inspired by any of them. He echoed a widely held view that politicians should prove themselves before asking for their votes.

"I promised myself that my vote would not bring anyone to power," he said.

Falih Ali, a 28-year-old ministry of oil employee in the Shia province of Karbala, described the election as “catastrophic”.

“Karbala alone had nearly 1,200 candidates – good heavens!” he said. “How can I differentiate between good and bad among them, given that they have similar platforms?”

In Anbar, voter turnout paled in comparison with parliamentary elections in December 2005, when an estimated 55 per cent of voters cast their ballots. Khalid al-Ani, head of the election commission in Anbar, said many voters had fled their homes in the once-volatile province and did not re-register to vote.

He said election-day security was tight and that the commission was “surprised by the low turnout”.

Zaineb Ali, a 28-year-old housewife in Fallujah, said she would have been keen to learn more about the platforms of women candidates. Women are guaranteed 25 per cent of the seats in each province.

But Ali she said she generally mistrusts politicians and would only vote in future elections if politicians "provide broader opportunities for women and allow them to have their own say in serving Iraq".

Unemployment appeared to be a big issue in Fallujah, a city in Anbar province which is still recovering from massive US military operations against insurgents in 2004.

Mustafa Ayad, 35, said he struggles to make a living as a construction worker and is too poor to get married. He had little faith in politicians who promised to create jobs, saying they cut themselves off from the public once they reach office.

He also did not express confidence in the electoral system. “The results are decided from the very beginning,” he said. “My vote is not worth anything."

Baghdad-based IWPR-trained journalists Daud Salman, Abeer Mohammed and Dhirgham Muhammad Ali along with IWPR trainees in Fallujah, Basra and Karbala contributed to this report.