The practice of taking advantage of sectarian and religious slogans is still common on the Iraqi electoral scene. This practice is clearly shown in electoral banners and the statements issued by political powers, despite all their talk of “national unity” and “social solidarity.”

Statements made March 30 by Hanan al-Fatlawi, a parliament member for the State of Law Coalition, have stirred controversy. She called for “equality in death” between Sunnis and Shiites.

Furthermore, politician Mishaan al-Jabbouri, who lives in exile in Syria, made various pre-election calls for the “liberation of Iraq from the Kurdish occupation.” A number of in-absentia judgments over terrorism accusations were passed against Jabbouri over these statements.

Such statements are nothing new for the Iraqi electoral scene. For years, politicians have taken advantage of national and sectarian affiliations to gain support, and there has been a continuous dispute in Iraq over ruling out candidates because they did not meet the condition of “good conduct” required by Iraqi law. In fact, the Iraqi judiciary has strongly defended the decisions to rule out potential candidates.