A look at the major coalitions in Iraq’s election

A look at the major coalitions in Iraq’s election

A look at the major alliances, coalitions expected to take part in Iraq’s parliamentary elections:

— Iraqi National Alliance: A broad religious Shiite coalition led by the Iranian-backed Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, also known as SIIC, and backed by followers of radical anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and the Fadhila party. SIIC suffered an embarrassing setback during the 2009 provincial elections over a public backlash against openly religious Shiite parties and poor performances by SIIC-supported officials. SIIC has been among the strongest supporters of purging Saddam Hussein loyalists from the government, armed services and security agencies. Of the three main Shiite-led alliances, the INA is the most closely aligned with Iran.

— State of Law Coalition: Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s Dawa Party is the backbone of a moderate coalition that includes smaller, independent groups of Shiites and Sunnis. The coalition did well during last year’s provincial vote. But al-Maliki’s government is under pressure after being blamed for security lapses that allowed suicide truck bombers to strike in central Baghdad. Al-Maliki will be hard pressed to emulate his success in the provincial elections now that his Shiite rivals have joined forces against him. Al-Maliki is thought to maintain friendly relations with Iran, but he publicly distances himself from the neighboring Shiite country.

— Iraqiya: Led by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, a Shiite, and prominent Sunni politician Saleh al-Mutlaq. The coalition, billed as secular, is backed by Shiites and Sunnis as well as former members of Saddam’s regime. Allawi and al-Mutlaq, who was banned from the vote as part of a Baathist purge, are fierce critics of al-Maliki. As Iraq’s first post-Saddam prime minister, Allawi earned the animosity of religious groups for backing U.S. offensives in Fallujah and against Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.

— Iraq Unity Alliance: Led by Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani, a Shiite who enjoys popularity among the police force he oversees, and Ahmed Abu Risha, leader of the Anbar province Awakening Council — a Sunni tribal militia that joined the U.S.-led fight against insurgents in 2006. The party is backed by the governmental Sunni Endowment that cares for Sunni mosques and shrines. The coalition is a newcomer in the political game.

— Iraqi Accordance: The Iraqi Accordance, a moderate coalition that is the main Sunni bloc in parliament, is the successor to the Iraqi Accordance Front. It is dominated by the Iraqi Islamic Party — the largest Sunni political party in Iraq. The coalition came together in the December 2005 parliamentary election, after Sunnis largely boycotted Iraq’s first national elections. The coalition worked together to address Sunni demands for a greater political voice in the Iraqi constitution. It also was opposed to the U.S. occupation.

— Kurdish Alliance: Made up of four Kurdish parties, the bloc is dominated by two powerful political groups — the KDP and PUK. The ethnic group that was once brutalized by Saddam’s regime is today one of the more powerful in parliament because of the number of seats it holds and its unified voting bloc. The Kurdish parties have clashed with the central government over legislation regulating Iraq’s oil industry; the Kurds want to develop their own fields, but Baghdad wants a centralized system. The parties will likely have a good showing in their northern autonomous region, but a newcomer to the political scene called “Gorran,” or “Change,” has been challenging the two parties’ dominance in Kurdish politics.