Iraq’s third general election was a major test for whether Iraqis were to consolidate or abandon sectarianism. The results indicate that the Iraqis moved away from sectarianism and toward ideological and issue-oriented politics. While this is very positive, the key question is whether Iraqis can sustain and build upon this trend, and that depends on the formation of a less sectarian government in the coming weeks and months.
The declining influence of sectarian identity on voter choices is proved by the fact that political blocs that identify themselves as secular, non-sectarian and nationalist increased their share from fewer than 30 seats in the outgoing 275-seat parliament to 180 in the new 325-seat legislature.
Read Full Article »