ANBAR, Iraq — The continuation of the political and security crisis in Anbar province, pitting the government against armed Sunni groups, has had an obvious impact on the environment surrounding Iraq's upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for April 30. In religious rhetoric, Anbar tribal sheikhs are contending that the elections, which they perceive as the Iraqi government’s mistreatment of Sunnis in dealing with the Anbar crisis, are haram (religiously forbidden) and discouraging citizens from participating in them.
Voter registration cards are available only in safe areas, which include only 30% of Anbar's population. Election centers have been threatened, and in light of Anbar's political and security chaos, some candidates have withdrawn from the race for fear of being assassinated. This has reduced the odds of the elections actually being held.
The situation in Anbar has created rifts between Sunni leaders and blocs after they had previously cooperated to coordinate their rhetoric based on a platform generated by the protests against Iraqi central government policies, ongoing for more than a year. The Sunni protesters in Anbar accuse Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s government of marginalizing Sunni political leaders. In particular, a split has emerged within the Iraqiya List, headed by former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, with the formation of a new bloc, the Mutahidoun (United for Reform), led by the current parliament speaker, Osama al-Najaifi. The new bloc is viewed as the spiritual sponsor of the Anbar sit-ins, which served as the launch pad from which the bloc strongly contested 2013 provincial elections separately from the Iraqiya List.
As the Iraqi government continues to insist on a military solution to the Anbar crisis, the Anbar Tribes Revolutionary Council, led by Ali Hatem Suleiman, head of the Dulaim tribe, insists on taking up arms under the pretext of self-defense and defending Sunnis’ rights. This has added a new political dimension to the conflict involving a split among Sunnis on a mechanism for addressing the crisis.
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