United Iraqi Alliance
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The United Iraqi Alliance (Arabic: الائتلاف العراقي الموحد; transliterated: al-I'tilāf al-`Irāqī al-Muwaḥḥad) led by Abdul Aziz al-Hakim is a Shi'ite Islamist coalition, mainly Arab, that achieved the most votes in the Iraqi elections of January 2005 and December 2005.
The Alliance formed in the lead-up to the January 2005 elections from mainly Shi’ite groups most importantly the Islamic Dawa Party and Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq. Other important members included the secular Iraqi National Congress led by Ahmed Chalabi and the independent nuclear physicist Hussain Shahristani. It also included supporters of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr who preferred not to back his National Independent Cadres and Elites party, and a number of independent Sunni representatives. The coalition was widely believed to have been supported by senior Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the most widely respected religious figure in Iraq, and although the Ayatollah offered no official endorsement, many in Iraq understood the UIA to be the “al-Sistani list.”
The Iraqi National Congress left the alliance prior to the December elections, which also brought the Sadrist Movement more firmly into the Alliance.
In March 2007, the Islamic Virtue Party withdrew from the Alliance, saying they wanted to "prevent blocs forming on a sectarian basis". This followed differences with Prime Minster Nouri al-Maliki over control of the Oil Ministry in the Government of Iraq from 2006. [1] This was followed in September 2007 by the Sadrist Movement, who complained the Alliance was "dominated by some parties". [2]
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[edit] January 2005 elections
Of over 8.46 million votes cast, the UIA received the preponderance at 4.08 million (48.1%), which gave the bloc 140 seats on Iraq’s 275-seat National Assembly. Of the 140 seats the UIA garnered, 42 went to women. In total, 86 women held seats in the new Iraqi parliament, which is the highest number in all of the Arab world.
Many members of the Alliance lived in exile in Iran, including Ibrahim al-Jaafari who leads the Islamic Al-Da’wa Party Iraq’s Prime Minister from 2005 to 2006. In 1980 thousands of Al Da’wa Party supporters were imprisoned or executed after advocating replacing Saddam Hussein’s secular Ba’ath Party government with an Islamic government. The Iranian leadership, which had successfully ousted Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi during the 1979 Islamic Revolution, was supportive of their efforts and allowed members of Al-Da’wa to seek exile in Iran. The strong ties the UIA has to Iran, a member of President of the United States George W. Bush’s “Axis of Evil,” is troubling to some; however, President Bush has expressed hope and offered the candidates and the Iraqi people a congratulatory message.
In early March 2005, the Iraqi Turkmen Front agreed to join the UIA’s caucus in the National Assembly according to Zaman Online. In return, Sistani reportedly pledged support for the recognition of Iraqi Turkmen as a national minority.
Prior to the December elections the Iraqi National Congress left, and more of Muqtada al-Sadr’s joined. Al-Sistani also stated that he would not support any party in this election.
[edit] Parties on the list (22)
- Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC)
- Islamic Dawa Party (al-Dawa)
- Iraqi National Congress (INC)
- Badr Organisation
- Centrist Assembly Party
- Islamic Dawa Party—Iraq Organisation
- Islamic Fayli Grouping in Iraq
- Fayli Kurd Islamic Union
- Islamic Virtue Party
- First Democratic National Party
- Assembly “Future of Iraq”
- Hezbollah Movement in Iraq
- Hezbollah al-Iraq
- Justice and Equality Grouping
- Islamic Master of the Martyrs Movement
- Islamic Action Organisation
- Islamic Union for Iraqi Turkomans
- Sayyid Al-Shuhadaa Organisation
- Shaheed Al-Mihrab Organisation
- Turkmen Fidelity Movement
[edit] Candidates on the United Iraqi Alliance List (228)
- Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, leader of SIIC heads the list
- Ibrahim al-Jaafari, leader of the Islamic Dawa Party
- Ahmad Chalabi (INC)
- Hussain al-Shahristani
[edit] December 2005 elections
Prior to the December 2005 elections the Alliance lost some members, most prominently the Iraqi National Congress. The alliance won in the December 2005 elections 41.2% and 128 out of 275 seats.
[edit] Split by Party
Analysis of the seat allocation after the elections showed that the 109 district seats and 19 compensatory seats won by the UIA were split as follows:
| Party | District Seats | Compensatory Seats | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| SIIC & Badr Organization | 21 | 15 | 36 |
| Sadrist Movement | 27 | 2 | 29 |
| Islamic Virtue Party | 14 | 1 | 15 |
| Islamic Dawa Party | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| Islamic Dawa Party - Iraq Organisation | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| Independents and others | 24 | 1 | 25 |
| Total | 111 | 19 | 130 |
Other parties include:
- Centrist Coalition Party
- Turkman Islamic Union of Iraq
- Justice and Equality Assembly
- Iraqi Democratic Movement
- Movement of Hizbullah in Iraq
- Turkmen Loyalty Movement
- Saed Al Shuhada Islamic Movement
- Al Shabak Democratic Gathering
- Malhan Al Mkoter
- Reform And Building Meeting
- The Justice Community
- Iraq Ahrar
[edit] References
- ^ Small party breaks away from Iraq Shi'ite bloc, Reuters, 2007-03-07, accessed on 2007-09-21
- ^ Sadrist group quits ruling Shiite parliament bloc, China Daily, 2007-09-16, accessed on 2007-09-21
[edit] External links
- Washington Post article about the United Iraqi Alliance
- Iraqi Shias unveil poll coalition
- The Iraqi newspaper “al-Adalah” published on Dec. 23 2004 the platform of the United Iraqi Alliance
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