PRT MUTHANNA: A "SNEAK PREVIEW" OF MUTHANNA'S

C O N F I D E N T I A L BAGHDAD 000363 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/11/2020 TAGS: PGOV KDEM IZ SUBJECT: PRT MUTHANNA: A "SNEAK PREVIEW" OF MUTHANNA'S CANDIDATE LIST REF: A. 09 BAGHDAD 2391 ¶B. 09 BAGHDAD 2001 ¶C. 10 BAGHDAD 270 ¶D. 09 BAGHDAD 1203 ¶E. 10 BAGHDAD 167 Classified By: PRT Team Leader John Kuschner for Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d ) ¶1. (U) This is a PRT Muthanna reporting cable. ¶2. (SBU) There are 171 names on 16 different lists competing for 7 CoR seats from Muthanna province. Six candidates have been excluded. Five additional candidates appealed their exclusion and are waiting for a final decision on their eligibility. PROVINCIAL COUNCIL MEMBERS RUNNING FOR NATIONAL OFFICE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶3. (C) Ten members of the Provincial Council are running on three lists, the ISCI/Sadrist Trend-led Iraqi National Alliance (INA) (4),PM Maliki,s State of Law Alliance (SLA) (2),and the cross-sectarian Coalition of Iraq,s Unity (CIU) (4). Of the ten, only four are running on the coalition list that elected them in January 2009 (three candidates for INA and one for State of Law). Council member and former Governor Ahmed Marzouk (Ref A) has placed his Al Jumhoor party (previously aligned with ISCI) in the CIU camp. Main Parties at a Glance - - - - - - - - - - - - ¶4. (C) SLA: The list is led by Adnan Hadi Noor Ali Saeed, a senior deputy in the Ministry of Interior and a member of Maliki,s Da,wa party. PRT local staff members have heard Reports that Saeed is offering police positions if elected. Sheikh Najih Kamil Ghiteeth, the main sheikh of the Shi'a Al Thawalim tribe, is a notable SLA candidate. ¶5. (C) INA: The list is headed by Khalid Naim Khashman Abdallah, a Sadrist Trend member and attorney who is well known for acting as defense council for Jaish al Mahdi (JAM) militia members arrested in Muthanna. The Sadrists have taken a cautious approach, putting only two members on the list to prevent vote splitting that could cost them a seat on March 7. There are four members of the PC on the list; two ISCI, one Badr and one from former PM Ibrahim Jaafari,s National Reform Trend (NRT). There are two other notables on the list:Hakim Khazal Khashan Jazi, a former member of the PC, and self-designated leader in the fight against corruption(refs B and C),and Sheikh Raysan Mutashar Fahad Jiheel of the Al Zayadi tribe. ¶6. (C) CIU: The list is dominated by former Governor and current PC member Ahmed Marzouk. Marzouk is well known to the PRT as a political kingmaker, but does not have a reputation as an honest broker. His political fortunes have ebbed and flowed since cobbling together a coalition that broke a PC deadlock in April 2009 over who would be Governor of the Province (ref C). Marzouk enjoys strong support from the Albu Hassan tribe led by Sheikh Abu Chaffat (Ref D). Excluded - - - - ¶7. (SBU) Six candidates have been included in the AJC de-Ba,athification list and have not appealed. Most notable among them is Mujnim Jabbar Manshad Hussein from the 20th Revolution Bloc. He is the province,s head of the ISNAD tribal support council. There are two excluded candidates from the Al Iraqiya list, and one each from the Kurdistan Coalition, Rightness Propagandists' Gathering and the Movement of Patriotic and National Blocs. ¶8. (C) Comment: The PRT does not see any real surprises on the lists, makeup. With the exception of a few ideologues, it reflects opportunistic political elites that are the norm in Muthanna. End Comment. HILL