Authorities first decided to disqualify hundreds of mostly Sunni politicians from running in the March elections, angering Sunni Arabs who saw in the move an attempt to sideline their community politically.
Then authorities decided to allow the politicians to contest the vote until their appeals are looked into, this time angering Shiites, the new rulers of post-invasion Iraq.
"Iraqis want a break from the dictatorial period and allowing their supporters to run in the elections goes against any human rights decision," Hussein Wafe’e, a senior government official in Baghdad's Shiite Sadr district, told IslamOnline.net.
A judicial panel decided last week to allow nearly 500 politicians disqualified on accusations of links to the ousted Baath party of Saddam Hussein to contest the elections.
Among the list of candidates who had been banned from elections were prominent Sunni politicians including Saleh Mutlak who is a preference in the poll in many governorates in central and western of the country.
"The Iraqi court had to follow the country’s law to ban any person who has any involvement with Saddam’s party but instead they lifted it and gave them the chance to get seats in the most important political level of Iraq," fumed Wafe’e.
But according to Hamdiya al-Husseini, a member of the Independent High Electoral Commission, the appeal case was not dismissed but only delayed till after the polls.
"The appeal has been accepted and banned candidates can now return to their campaigns but the case will be analysed after elections," she told IOL.
"Those who win and have their support proved through investigations would lose their seat."
The judicial panel's decision angered Shiites politicians who argue this would open the doors for Baathists to join parliament.
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government also criticized the decision as "illegal," and ordered that parliament be recalled.
MPs are expected to meet later Monday to discuss the contentious issue.
The March 7 general election will be the second since the 2003 US-led invasion.
Polarized
Demonstrations against the overturn of the ban are being organized in many Shiite-majority areas in Baghdad and the southern cities of Basra and Najaf.
"We want justice and will demonstrate during the coming days at streets asking for the reversion of the appeal decision," said Wafe’e.
Hundreds gathered outside Baghdad provincial government headquarters Sunday, carrying banners that read "No to the return of criminal Baathists."
Members of Maliki’s Dawa party are participating in many protests and are stoking feelings by recalling the suffering of many Shiites during Saddam.
"It is our duty to prevent Iraqis from suffering again at the hands of Saddam’s supporters," Salah Abdul-Razzaq, the Baghdad provincial governor and a senior member of Dawa party, said during Sunday’s protest.
"We cannot accept any more mass graves in this country or families losing their loved ones for expressing themselves."
The March elections are seen by many as a test of reconciliation between Sunnis who ruled under Saddam and Shiites who came to the helm of power following the invasion.
But the row over vote disqualification has left the country polarized and divided.
"We had a change of sides," noted Abdel-Rahman al-Soudan, a political analyst and professor at Baghdad University.
"During the ban, Sunnis revolted and attacks against Shiite community increased," he told IOL.
"Now we started to see a change of anger. Shiites are reluctant to accept the lifting and threats have been reported, especially against Sunni communities in the southern provinces."
Politicized
The political expert questioned the timing of the government's decision to go after alleged Baathists.
"It is important to pursue Ba’ath support but the government had years to look into it and decided to make a precipitated decision a few months before elections, showing an image of possible destabilisation."
Soudan fears the current turmoil could spill over into sectarian violence.
"The government is heating protesters who since yesterday went out to the streets calling for the ban lifting to be cancelled," he charged.
"Maliki has to be careful because many times when we want to destabilise someone, it could have serious collateral effects."
Soudan says many politicians, experts and locals are afraid from violence and sectarian disputes in volatile governorates.
He believes that if the ban had not been lifted many Sunnis would have called for boycotting the March vote and a wave of violence would have overshadowed the vote.
"They are calling Sunni resistance for a fight that will have just innocent civilians as victims."
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has welcomed the decision to reinstate the disqualified candidates and urged all parties not to undermine the legitimacy of vote.
The Obama administration considers the election a crucial test before a complete withdrawal of its troops, currently estimated at 107,000, by the end of 2011.
Then authorities decided to allow the politicians to contest the vote until their appeals are looked into, this time angering Shiites, the new rulers of post-invasion Iraq.
"Iraqis want a break from the dictatorial period and allowing their supporters to run in the elections goes against any human rights decision," Hussein Wafe’e, a senior government official in Baghdad's Shiite Sadr district, told IslamOnline.net.
A judicial panel decided last week to allow nearly 500 politicians disqualified on accusations of links to the ousted Baath party of Saddam Hussein to contest the elections.
Among the list of candidates who had been banned from elections were prominent Sunni politicians including Saleh Mutlak who is a preference in the poll in many governorates in central and western of the country.
"The Iraqi court had to follow the country’s law to ban any person who has any involvement with Saddam’s party but instead they lifted it and gave them the chance to get seats in the most important political level of Iraq," fumed Wafe’e.
But according to Hamdiya al-Husseini, a member of the Independent High Electoral Commission, the appeal case was not dismissed but only delayed till after the polls.
"The appeal has been accepted and banned candidates can now return to their campaigns but the case will be analysed after elections," she told IOL.
"Those who win and have their support proved through investigations would lose their seat."
The judicial panel's decision angered Shiites politicians who argue this would open the doors for Baathists to join parliament.
Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government also criticized the decision as "illegal," and ordered that parliament be recalled.
MPs are expected to meet later Monday to discuss the contentious issue.
The March 7 general election will be the second since the 2003 US-led invasion.
Polarized
Demonstrations against the overturn of the ban are being organized in many Shiite-majority areas in Baghdad and the southern cities of Basra and Najaf.
"We want justice and will demonstrate during the coming days at streets asking for the reversion of the appeal decision," said Wafe’e.
Hundreds gathered outside Baghdad provincial government headquarters Sunday, carrying banners that read "No to the return of criminal Baathists."
Members of Maliki’s Dawa party are participating in many protests and are stoking feelings by recalling the suffering of many Shiites during Saddam.
"It is our duty to prevent Iraqis from suffering again at the hands of Saddam’s supporters," Salah Abdul-Razzaq, the Baghdad provincial governor and a senior member of Dawa party, said during Sunday’s protest.
"We cannot accept any more mass graves in this country or families losing their loved ones for expressing themselves."
The March elections are seen by many as a test of reconciliation between Sunnis who ruled under Saddam and Shiites who came to the helm of power following the invasion.
But the row over vote disqualification has left the country polarized and divided.
"We had a change of sides," noted Abdel-Rahman al-Soudan, a political analyst and professor at Baghdad University.
"During the ban, Sunnis revolted and attacks against Shiite community increased," he told IOL.
"Now we started to see a change of anger. Shiites are reluctant to accept the lifting and threats have been reported, especially against Sunni communities in the southern provinces."
Politicized
The political expert questioned the timing of the government's decision to go after alleged Baathists.
"It is important to pursue Ba’ath support but the government had years to look into it and decided to make a precipitated decision a few months before elections, showing an image of possible destabilisation."
Soudan fears the current turmoil could spill over into sectarian violence.
"The government is heating protesters who since yesterday went out to the streets calling for the ban lifting to be cancelled," he charged.
"Maliki has to be careful because many times when we want to destabilise someone, it could have serious collateral effects."
Soudan says many politicians, experts and locals are afraid from violence and sectarian disputes in volatile governorates.
He believes that if the ban had not been lifted many Sunnis would have called for boycotting the March vote and a wave of violence would have overshadowed the vote.
"They are calling Sunni resistance for a fight that will have just innocent civilians as victims."
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has welcomed the decision to reinstate the disqualified candidates and urged all parties not to undermine the legitimacy of vote.
The Obama administration considers the election a crucial test before a complete withdrawal of its troops, currently estimated at 107,000, by the end of 2011.
