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BY HANNAH ALLAM
January 30, 2004
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Six of Iraq's secular political parties met Thursday to cement a new alliance aimed at preventing a religious government from coming to power in Iraq.
Hundreds of thousands of Shi'ite Muslims have demonstrated in favor of general elections -- a demand of the country's most powerful Shi'ite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani. The Shi'ite leadership yields enormous authority over the 55 to 60 percent of the population that calls itself Shi'ite.
The religious fervor surrounding Iraq's political future has disheartened secular politicians, who fear the clerics' growing influence will usher in an Islamic government and dash hopes of making Iraq a model for Middle Eastern democracy.
The six parties, all but one represented on the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council, have joined forces to offer an alternative voice to that of al-Sistani, whose demand for direct elections has threatened U.S.-backed plans for a caucus system to decide who rules Iraq after this summer's transition of authority.
Al-Sistani's persistent demands led to the announcement this week that the United Nations will send a delegation to Iraq to study whether the country's security situation and fledgling political apparatus can support elections by summer.
The umbrella group, whose Arabic name roughly translates as the Consortium of Democratic Forces, met for the second time Thursday, with representatives from the two main Kurdish factions, the Iraqi Communist Party, the Arab Socialist Movement and two other secular democratic parties. It is impossible to gauge the parties' appeal in the absence of elections.
The group is putting the finishing touches on a draft of a constitution that seeks a secular society, checks and balances for governmental branches and a respect for the Islamic identity of Iraq, according to members familiar with the document. The consortium hopes to present the draft to the Governing Council within the next few weeks.
Secular parties in and out of the consortium say they are reaching out to voters by opening offices in predominantly Shi'ite Muslim citiesand organizing community events.
But even the staunchest secularists concede their fight sounds futile.
"We understand that when you are jobless, desperate, isolated and terrorized, it's natural that you turn to God to save you . . .," said Shakir al Dujaily, who represents the Communist Party in the consortium. "We are going after the nonactive people who would like to see the democratic trend stronger."
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