Today is the deadline for more than 500 Iraqi politicians to appeal against blacklisting that would ban them from contesting parliamentary elections in March. A cursory examination of the list is sufficient to confirm that the proposed ban is a blatant attempt by sectarian Shiite parties to retain their dominant position in parliament. If any further evidence were needed, the head of the committee that compiled the blacklist, Ali al Lami, is a Sadrist running on the Iraqi National Alliance ticket, an alliance of religious Shiite parties. The UN, US and the affected political parties are lobbying to have consideration of the blacklist delayed until after voting has taken place. Their calls should be heeded or the elections will be a farce that will serve only to exacerbate sectarian tensions.
It is not surprising that religious Shiite parties are concerned about their prospects in free and fair elections. The Sadrists, the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq and their allies have seen their electoral appeal suffer a sharp decline. Iraqis are increasingly supporting parties and candidates who advocate a strong central government. The Iraqi National Alliance's vision of a loose federal structure with a semi-autonomous Shiite state in the South is losing its appeal. Should the current trend continue in the parliamentary elections, they stand to lose seats in parliament and control of powerful cabinet positions. As a result, they are willing to trade reconciliation efforts and economic and social recovery for short-term gains that keep their agenda alive.
Of course, these parties have not been the only ones guilty of seeking to manipulate the elections. The Sunni vice president Tariq al Hashemi almost derailed the whole process in a dispute over how seats for Sunni candidates would be apportioned. Optimists will argue that it is perversely reassuring to see how seriously Iraq's politicians are viewing this election. The energy and vigour that many of these groups once devoted to fighting in the streets is now directed towards the political process. Unfortunately, they engage in verbal battles in the same manner that sectarian militias slaughtered each other in the streets - with a complete disregard for the rule of law.
Recovery depends on setting aside sectarianism and embracing a strong, unified government of a diverse Iraq. Efforts to controvert the will of the people risk reversing years of hard-won progress. Iraq cannot allow the selfish interests of any one party to control the nation's future. But unless its politicians show the courage to stand against such people, then the country will stay steeped in conflict and recovery will become increasingly difficult to achieve.