An Analysis on the Political Stance of the Shiite Parties and the Voters, before the March 7 Election in Iraq.

Abstract

The Iraqi Parliament Elections scheduled for March 7, 2010 are of great significance both for the region and international powers. 400 parties will compete to share the 325 seats of the Iraqi Federal Assembly. A close competition is expected among the 6 strongest coalitions. Dictatorship accusations towards PM Maliki, tension among the Shiite parties, bans that prevent some Sunni parties from participating in the elections and Kurdish parties that participate in with different lists, indicate that the 2010 elections will be different from the elections of 2005. The most anticipated issue is the stand of the Shiites that form the majority. A field study was held between February 3 and February 11in Baghdad, Najaf, Karbala and Kufa to answer these questions. This paper is based on that specific field research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]