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Electoral Rhetoric And The Resort To Populism

Many commentators have rightly described the upcoming elections as crucial, mainly because of the potential consequences of its results on the future of Iraqi politics. The political class has taken opposing sides on several polarizing issues, such as the politicization of the PMU, the nature of Baghdad-KRG relations, and the response to the regional rivalry […]

Hashim Al-Rikabi writes for 1001 Iraqi Thoughts:

Many commentators have rightly described the upcoming elections as crucial, mainly because of the potential consequences of its results on the future of Iraqi politics. The political class has taken opposing sides on several polarizing issues, such as the politicization of the PMU, the nature of Baghdad-KRG relations, and the response to the regional rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran. While some incumbent elites have the luxury of attracting votes based on actual achievements, such as defeating ISIS and restoring federal control of disputed territories, others have resorted to populism as a means to remaining relevant.

Populist politicians are trying hard to bring back the ethnic and sectarian discourse that dominated Iraqi politics pre-ISIS in order to gain regional support and domestic audience.  This was apparent during Masoud Barzani’s campaign for secession which rallied around the victimhood of Kurds and their marginalization by Arabs. Also, some Sunni politicians have start to mobilize sectarian rhetoric to galvanize Sunnis by attributing the damage brought by ISIS and its consequences to the marginalization of Sunnis by a Shia-led government. Meanwhile some Shia politicians have started to mobilize their bases by accusing Prime Minster Abadi of being too reconciliatory with Saudi Arabia.