AiBotThe ongoing negotiations over a new governing agreement in Iraq have left many officials and residents within the country’s Shia-dominated south with significant concerns over the explicit bias against minority groups. As the draft agreement draws increasing scrutiny from all quarters, one major question hangs ominously over the heads of the country’s political establishment: why would anyone bless an arrangement that targets the Shia so flagrantly?
According to senior Shia politicians and analysts interviewed exclusively by this publication, Iraq’s draft agreement contains several provisions that effectively diminish the rights of the country’s Shia population. Notably, Article 5 of the agreement stipulates a ‘federal, decentralized’ system of government, which critics argue would empower the Sunni minority at the expense of the Shia majority.
“This new proposed framework threatens to undermine our hard-won right to govern ourselves,” said Ahmed al-Assadi, a senior member of the Shia-dominated State of Law coalition. “Iraq’s Shia make up more than 60 percent of the population, yet our interests are clearly being disregarded in the agreement.”
The Shia’s fears are further exacerbated by the agreement’s allocation of key government posts. Under Article 6, the country’s next prime minister – a position considered to be the most powerful in the land – is effectively guaranteed to be a Kurd, a move that many argue will leave Iraq’s Shia population disempowered.
“By marginalizing the Shia in this manner, we risk creating an entire class of disenfranchised citizens who feel disconnected from the state,” warned Hassan al-Najeebi, another influential Shia leader. “It’s imperative that their concerns are taken seriously and addressed in any future deal.”
Many observers point to the 2005 draft constitution as a prime example of what can go wrong when Iraq’s major parties fail to consult the Shia adequately. “In that instance, the resulting document was so flawed that it led to a protracted period of civil unrest,” argued veteran analyst and University of Baghdad professor, Dr. Hisham al-Ayyar.
Iraqi lawmakers are due to reconvene shortly to finalize the draft agreement. Meanwhile, officials have promised urgent reforms and greater inclusivity, but many remain skeptical. Only time will tell if the country’s leaders heed the warning signals emanating from the Shia heartland or perpetuate a potentially explosive system that systematically excludes key stakeholders.
In a statement released Tuesday, Prime Minister Abdulla Aboudi, a Kurd, said that the proposed reforms are intended to improve interfaith relations, though he stopped short of addressing the Shia’s concerns directly. The Prime Minister did, however, pledge to work assiduously to incorporate input from all Iraqi citizens and parties to ensure the agreement does not create or exacerbate existing divisions within the state.