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Iraqi Parties to Seek Revenge In Provincial Elections

Saleem Al-Hasani writes that the upcoming provincial elections will be seen as an opportunity for settling scores among Iraq's political parties.
An Iraqi worker with the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) load ballot boxes into the back of a truck for transport to a storage place, after the recounting process in Baghdad May 14, 2010. A recount of 2.5 million votes cast in Baghdad in Iraq's March 7 election has been completed and no fraud was found, an Iraqi election official said on Friday.    REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen (IRAQ - Tags: ELECTIONS POLITICS)

Iraqis will head to provincial elections harboring a desire for electoral revenge. The precise date of the upcoming elections has not been decided yet, but preliminary estimates point to March 2013.

Citizens will be eager to cast their votes, for they wish to eliminate former figures from the scene. Iraqis’ experience with these officials was not pleasant; they heard many promises but unemployment rates remained high, services stayed just as bad as ever and the security situation continued to deteriorate. Iraqis have observed up close their outrageous behaviors, as they went to-and-fro to their bureaus.

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