Iraqi Provincial Elections Postponed in Anbar
As protests continue in Iraq’s western province of Anbar, local authorities have decided to postpone provincial elections scheduled for April 20, writes Ali Abel Sadah.
Provincial elections scheduled for April 20 will not be held on time in Anbar province. It seems that the Sunni protests are casting a shadow over the process of democratic power transition in the unstable city.
On March 11, the provincial council — the legislative authority of the province — decided to postpone the elections and referred the decision to the Iraqi Election Commission on March 12 for ratification.
Deputy head of the council Sadoun Ubaid confirmed in a phone call with Al-Monitor that 19 members voted to postpone the elections under the condition of referring the decision to the Election Commission in Baghdad.
The provincial council of Anbar consists of 20 members distributed as follows: Six members belong to al-Iraqiya coalition, five to the Sahwa Party, four to the Iraqi Islamic Party, three to the al-Hal list and one belonging to the list of Iraqi sheiks, noting that all are Sunni political coalitions.
