The Alliance Towards Reforms or Marching Towards Reform (Arabic: تحالف سائرون للإصلاح), also known by its Arabic short form Saairun (Arabic: سائرون, Saairun, lit. 'Forward'[11]), was an Iraqi electoral coalition formed to gain political control in the 2018 general election. The main components were the Shi’a Islamist Sadrist Integrity Party, the leftist Iraqi Communist Party,[12] the Youth Movement for Change Party, the Party of Progress and Reform and the Iraqi Republican Group and the State of Justice Party.[13][14] The alliance won 54 seats, more than any other coalition in the election.
Alliance Towards Reforms تحالف سائرون للإصلاح | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Hassan al-Aquli[1][2][3] (Political leader) Muqtada al-Sadr (Spiritual leader) |
| Founded | 25 January 2018[4] |
| Dissolved | 24 July 2021[10] |
| Ideology | Iraqi nationalism[5] Anti-corruption[5] Factions: Social democracy[6] Syncretic politics[7] Shi'a political thought[8] Communism |
| Political position | Big tent[9] |
| Colors | Dark cyan Turquoise |
In the previous election, the Sadrists (a Shia movement emerging in the 1990s to oppose President Saddam Hussein) had run as the Al-Ahrar Bloc and won 34 seats.[15] They initially supported the al Abadi government, with Baha al-Araji serving as one of the Deputy Prime Ministers.[16] However, they later withdrew this stance, organizing protests against government corruption and sectarianism. On 30 April 2016, supporters of the Alliance Towards Reforms occupied the Council of Representatives in protest.[17]
The coalition effectively ended when the Iraqi Communist Party decided to boycott the 2021 general election.[10]
Opposition
editDuring a visit to Iran three months before the election, senior Iranian politician Ali Akbar Velayati declared: "We will not allow liberals and communists to govern Iraq," in reference to the Alliance. This comment was criticized by Iraqi secular MP's as interference in the internal affairs of Iraq.[18]
2018 elections
editThe 2018 elections saw significant gains for the Alliance Towards Reforms. They won 17 seats in Baghdad, 6 seats in Dhi Qar, 5 in Maysan and Basra, 4 in Najaf and Babil, 3 in Karbala, Qadissiya and Wasit, and 2 seats in Muthanna and Diyala.[19] A communist woman representing the Alliance, Suhad al-Khateeb, was elected in the 2018 elections to represent the city of Najaf which was deemed to be one of the most religious and conservative cities in Iraq. Khateeb, who is a teacher and an anti-poverty and women's rights activist, said upon her victory: "We, the Communist party, have a long history of honesty - we were not agents for foreign occupations. We want social justice, citizenship, and are against sectarianism. This is also what Iraqis want."[20]
Election results
edit| Election year | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 1,500,862 | (#1) | 54 / 329
|
 54
|
Coalition Partner |
References
edit- ^ shooq. "كلمة د.حسن العاقولي رئيس تحالف "سائرون"". www.iraqicp.com.
- ^ ""سائرون": يصعب التوصل لتقاربات سياسية مع التحالفات الأخرى لخوض الانتخابات". 21 January 2018.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "لقاء خاص مع رئيس تحالف سائرون د. حسن العاقولي". www.alrasheedmedia.com. Archived from the original on 29 May 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
- ^ shooq. "إعلان تحالف "سائرون" لخوض الانتخابات البرلمانية والمحلية". www.iraqicp.com.
- ^ a b Cambanis, Thanassis (11 May 2018). "Opinion - Can a Shiite Cleric Pull Iraq Out of the Sectarian Trap?". The New York Times.
- ^ "Sadr willing to ally with Iraqi blocs to form technocratic government". english.alarabiya.net. 15 May 2018.
- ^ "Interview with the Iraqi Communist Party". 18 July 2003.
- ^ "The Sadrist–Communist Alliance: Implications for Iraq's Secular Politics". 6 June 2018. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
- ^ "Sadr calls for technocratic government in pun-heavy tweet".
- ^ a b "Statement of the Central Committee of the Iraqi Communist Party: No Participation in Elections that is not Gateway to Desired Change" (PDF).
- ^ "Who Is Moqtada al-Sadr? The Cleric Who Attacked U.S. Troops and Is Iraq's Likely Next PM". Reuters. 15 May 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
- ^ "Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr bloc wins Iraq elections". BBC News. 18 May 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
- ^ "Meet Iraq's plentiful parliamentary alliances". Shafaq News. 26 January 2018. Archived from the original on 19 May 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
- ^ "The Sadrist–Communist Alliance: Implications for Iraq's Secular Politics". Middle East Centre. 6 June 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
- ^ See 2014 Iraqi parliamentary election for further details.
- ^ "EIFA - A look at the new Iraqi Cabinet". 10 September 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
- ^ "Shia protesters storm Iraq parliament". BBC News. 30 April 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
- ^ Mamouri, Ali (26 February 2018). "Iranian interference in Iraqi election stirs anger among Iraqis". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
- ^ "Alliance of Shiites and communists in Iraq". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
- ^ "First female Communist elected in Iraq's holiest city calls for 'social justice'". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 19 May 2018.