The parliamentary elections that took place last week, in which independent parties won a balanced number of seats, stimulated many young people, activists, and journalists to think about entering the world of politics, in an effort to influence the decision and direct it to sound paths.
The Iraqi Council of Representatives dissolved the provincial councils, in response to the demands of the popular protests, which began in 2019, due to the escalation of differences between the members of these councils, the waste of public money, and the spread of financial and administrative corruption in their work.
change from within
Within this context, journalist Haider Al-Hamdani believes that “the rush of young people and the new generation, towards local elections, comes to bring about a change in the rules of the game from within, instead of watching, and being satisfied with criticism and resentment, especially since the young generation has a clear vision, keeps pace with the developments of the times, and has a sense of He is very responsible and enthusiastic about building his country.
Al-Hamdani, who is one of the candidates for the provincial elections, added, during an interview with “Sky News Arabia”, that “the sons of this generation have a deep love for their country, and have seen the conditions of poverty, deprivation, and destitution experienced by the sons of their controversy, unlike the rest of the politicians who live In ivory towers, they did not mix with people, and they did not know until now the nature of the problems and challenges facing Iraqi society, and the ways to solve them.
He pointed out that “there is a popular trend towards youth competencies, especially after the experience of the Parliament elections, and the fact that young people obtained a good number of seats, which gave an indication of a popular desire to break with old traditions, to vote for the old parties every time.”
Al-Hamdani was not alone in this path, but there are a large number of media professionals and activists who confirmed their desire to enter the political arena, through the local elections.
So far, the date of the provincial council elections has not been set, but there is a political tendency to hold them after the formation of the current government, and officially handing over its duties, to start preparations for the local council elections.
Iraqi constitution
Despite the dissolution of the previous councils, this cannot be continued, as the provincial councils are stipulated in the Iraqi constitution, and they are within the democratic system prevailing in the country.
The legal expert, Ali Al-Tamimi, believes that “the provincial councils will remain by virtue of Article 122 of the Constitution, and they can only be abolished by amending the constitution,” noting that “after dissolving them, they are not entitled to do any of their work.”
Al-Tamimi added in a comment to “Sky News Arabia” that “these councils are part of the governance mechanism in Iraq and the democratic system, and therefore elections must be held faster, to avoid any legal violations that may occur.”
The “Extension” bloc, which is stemming from the youth protest movement, won about 10 seats in the parliamentary elections, while other independents won about 20 seats, which qualifies them all to establish a strong bloc within the Parliament, especially with the start of the movement aimed at this.
Young men in the prime of life won seats in the House of Representatives, whether within the extension movement, or independently, which gave an additional impetus to other young people, to prepare for provincial elections or enter the political fray in general.
For example, 29-year-old Nour Nafeh al-Jalihawi, a candidate for the “Extension” list in the Iraqi elections, is expected to be the youngest parliamentarian in the history of the five Iraqi parliamentary sessions, if her name is announced in the final lists of winners in the Iraqi elections.
According to Iraqi political sources, an agreement was made before the parliamentary elections, regarding the holding of provincial council elections, after the next government took over its duties, the completion of the distribution of administrative positions, and the stability of the work of the House of Representatives.
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