NAJAF PROVINCIAL ELECTIONS UPDATE: SKEPTICISM AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 000170 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/23/2019 TAGS: PGOV KDEM PINR IZ SUBJECT: NAJAF PROVINCIAL ELECTIONS UPDATE: SKEPTICISM AND CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM REF: A. BAGHDAD 158 ¶B. BAGHDAD 102 Classified By: PRT Team Leader Alfred Fontenau for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary. In the final stretch before provincial elections, Najaf is stable and visibly ready for a competitive election. Despite cautious optimism from all spheres, contacts indicate concern over the complication of ballot procedures and limited voter education. Incumbent candidates from the well-entrenched Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI) vie against strong party lists from Da'wa, as well as a multitude of plausible independent lists with charismatic leading figures. Local Sadrists have the pick of a half dozen like-minded lists, with Muqtada al-Sadr allegedly authorizing an official endorsement of two. Skeptical Najafis have little faith in a free and fair election yet none have offered solid evidence or even specific conjecture intimating any voter fraud other than the abundance of creative vote-buying initiatives from all major parties. This skepticism might lead to a low voter turnout but an election ultimately acceptable to the voters. End summary. Najaf Sadrists, Endorsed or Not. -------------- ¶2. (C) In stark contrast to the 2005 provincial elections in Najaf, the Sadrists are organized and prepared to participate in significant but not overwhelming numbers. Up to six ostensibly independent lists claim Sadr affiliation but recently the Najaf Political Office (i.e. OMS) claimed Muqtada al-Sadr officially endorsed only two, the "Free People Trend" and "Integrity and Construction" lists. Some PRT contacts remain skeptical about this endorsement and allege that Sadrist friends insist MAS "would not cut out" legitimate Sadrist lists from inclusion, nor take credibility away from long-time Sadrists on non-endorsed lists. (Ref B contains background on the national Sadrist lists.) ¶3. (C) Amjad Shihab, top candidate on the Free People Trend List, is the owner and general manager of one of Najaf's largest enterprises, the al-Kufa Cement Factory, with smokestacks that visibly loom nearby FOB Endeavor and the Najaf Airport. He is allegedly a financier of Sadrist charities and organizations, and a respected, charismatic leader in Najaf province. If elected, he promises to be a dynamic Sadr voice in the next provincial government. Muhsen Asfour, current PC member and head of the Integrity and Construction list, though not an overt Sadrist on the current PC, is considered a cooperative and moderate figure. He has met with PRT Officers. ISCI's Airport Platform Suddenly Wobbly -------------- ¶4. (C) Many Najafis express certainty ISCI will maintain a controlling share of the next PC and therefore ability to influence selection of the next provincial governor. With incumbent Governor Asaad Abu Gelal al-Taie not running on any list nor likely to continue his close ISCI association following the election, Deputy Governor Abtan remains the favorite to succeed him. Contacts believe ISCI's decisive combination of money, influence, threats, and entrenched interests will ensure them a strong electoral showing. Some locals even insist their lack of desire to vote is largely based on the assumption ISCI will win, fairly or fraudulently. ¶5. (C) Contractual problems between the management firm for Najaf International Airport, al-Aqeeq Aviation (subsidiary of Kuwait-based al-Aqeelah),and the airport security contractor, Global Strategies, recently led to a potential disruption of airport operations. This conflict has sparked Qdisruption of airport operations. This conflict has sparked concerns of bad press for ISCI prior to the election. The ISCI list, topped by Deputy Governor Abtan, closely tied its electoral platform to the opening of the Najaf Airport, as well as other less influential reconstruction projects. Abtan personally kept his own image inextricably connected to the airport and Najaf's economic revitalization. ¶6. (C) On January 21, Prime Minister Maliki made a special visit to the Najaf Airport in order to publicly assure his support for continuing airport operations. The visit also put a Da'wa face on the airport, with the PM's Najaf visit primarily to support his Da'wa "State of Law" coalition in Najaf. In addition to the PM, lead Da'wa candidate Sheikh Fayed al-Shimmeri and Governor Abu Gelal, not erstwhile airport front man Abtan, appeared with the PM in photos of the visit. Will Najaf's get out the vote campaign work? BAGHDAD 00000170 002 OF 002 -------------- ¶7. (C) Despite a recent survey from the Iraqi National Media Center that indicates voter turnout in Najaf province will be the lowest in the country at 54%, it is not for lack of prodding by leading religious and political figures. Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani (ref A),prominent Sadrist clerics, Prime Minister Maliki, and ISCI notables Sheikh al-Qubannji and Amar al-Hakim have all callQfor wide-scale participation. Najaf's tribal entities are fully in the mix, after expressing doubt for the past six months over the nature of an election system that favors "only the religious parties." Instead of a tribal collective vote, the tribal-affiliated rural citizens are likely to vote in numerous different directions based on specific agreements and due to extensive courtship by various political lists. ¶8. (C) Ample signs of campaigning are everywhere in Najaf, both routine and unorthodox. The city of Najaf is festooned with all manner of campaign propaganda, from crudely scrawled banners to Hollywood quality billboards. In addition, contacts have passed on rampant speculation about vote buying tactics. Some political parties hand out phone cards and other small-scale items; others are alleged to have promised large-scale reconstruction and essential services benefit in return for tribal support. ¶9. (C) Many contacts list concern over voter education as their primary fear. The PRT facilitated ten voter education programs through local civil society organizations and the Governorate Electoral Office (GEO) organized local conferences and leaflet handouts in populated areas of the city. GEO Chair Bushra al-Zamili requested U.S. military assistance to disseminate voter education material by helicopter to more remote areas the GEO was unable to canvas. Comment -------------- ¶10. (C) There is less election skepticism than six months ago, when contacts viewed the ISCI list headed by Abtan as not just the likely but the inevitable winner. A strong push by both the Da'wa and Sadr Trend lists has changed the political landscape, and independent movements such as Adnan al-Zurfi's "Loyalty to Najaf" list still command political respect and will contend for PC seats. ISCI maintains its edge as the monolithic ruling party in part thanks to affiliated personnel in the police and in the Najaf Governorate Elections Office. Lofty expectations by too many of the lists, however, may lead to charges (accurate or not) of fraud levied against the winners. The real political test may come after the 28-person PC is selected, the losers realize they are the losers, and the influx of new blood and parties changes Najaf's political landscape. End comment. CROCKER