Intrigue, power plays as Iraq campaign season starts

"I cannot speak to what Shaalan is saying, because he is always making fiery declarations," says Mr. Jawad. "But Shaalan is with [interim Iraqi President Gahzi] Al-Yawer - in other words, he is with Allawi."

The full Shiite list has not yet been revealed, and Iraq's independent electoral commission won't announce the candidates until Dec. 20. But a group of Shiite politicians announced last week that it was top-heavy with political figures who have close ties to Iran. No. 1 is said to be Abdel-Aziz Al-Hakim, a Shiite cleric who lived in Iran for over 20 years.

Also high on the list is Ahmed Chalabi, a former Pentagon favorite with close ties to Iran.

Mr. Chalabi is not very popular in Iraq - in a recent State Department survey of Iraqis, his unpopularity ratings ranked just below that of Mr. Hussein and his top deputy, Izzat Ibrahim Al-Douri. Chalabi's inclusion in the list's Top 10 spurred suspicions of Iranian influence in the Shiite slate.

"Mr. Chalabi has taken another boat, from the American boat to the Iranian boat," said Sheikh Fatih Kashif Al-Ghitta, a moderate Shiite cleric who removed his name from the list. "So if he is in the Top 10, that means that there is a very big influence from the regimes around us."

Iranian meddling is a sore subject for most Iraqis, many of whom fought in the bloody eight-year war against Iran in the 1980s. It's an especially touchy issue for Sunnis, many of whom are wary of an election that will almost certainly bring a Shiite government to power.

Last month, a group of mainly Sunni political parties led by Sunni elder statesmen Adnan Pachachi asked for a delay of six months to boost voter participation in violence-torn Sunni parts of Iraq. Both Allawi and President Bush announced that there would be no delay - and so did former Iranian president Ali Akbar Rafsanjani.

"We find a coherence between Iran and the Americans that is surprising to me," said Wamidh Nadhmi, a professor of political science and the leader of an Iraqi nationalist group that is boycotting the elections. "I consider this as a true sign of interference into Iraqi affairs - not by Bush alone, but by Rafsanjani."

But the use of government officials to blast Allawi's political opponents also raises ethical questions. With Iraq's security in shambles, Allawi's competitors will find it very difficult to conduct grassroots political campaigns.

"Shaalan's announcement is mainly to do with the fear of the current Iraqi government that Iranian influence will affect the new Iraqi democracy," said Mahmood. "Maybe Shaalan's and Allawi's parties are afraid that Iran's meddling will affect the results of the elections."

Page: 1 | 2