IRAK
Schiitengeistlicher Muktada al-Sadr übernimmt die Führung bei den Wahlen
May 14, 2018 -
Allgemeine Desillusionierung über die aktuelle irakische politische Führung dürfte geholfen haben, dass die Koalition des einflußreichen Schiitengeistlichen Muktada al-Sadr schon frühzeitig die Führung bei den nationalen Wahlen übernehmen konnte, wenn auch bei ungewöhnlich niedriger Beteiligung.
Partial returns of the 2018 vote – the first since Iraq declared victory over the so-called Islamic State group – were announced late Sunday by the Iraqi electoral commission and put al-Sadr’s political alliance in the lead in four provinces, including Baghdad.
The election came as the country deals with the disenfranchisement of the country’s Sunni minority. Of more than two million Iraqis displaced by the war, the majority are Sunnis. Also at issue is the influence of Iran on the country – Iranian-backed Shiite militias who played a key role in defeating IS and were allied with the Shiite-led Baghdad government made significant electoral gains.