Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

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Election posters are hung along a street in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, on April 1, 2014 ahead of Iraq’s April 30 general elections. (AFP/Marwan Ibrahim)

Iraq: State of emergency considered as elections approach

by Hamza Mustafa | Apr 5, 2014 | Middle East

Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Iraqi parliamentarians said Friday that the government is seeking to send a draft law to parliament that would allow the announcement of a state of emergency ahead of elections scheduled for April 30. Iraqi parliamentary rapporteur Mohamed...

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An Iraqi employee of a printing house puts together campaign posters showing former Baghdad governor Salah Abdul Razzaq and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki (R) on March 31, 2014 in the Iraqi capital, ahead of a general election due to be held on April 30. (AFP PHOTO/AHMAD AL-RUBAYE)

Iraq: Parliamentary elections campaign kicks off

by Hamza Mustafa | Apr 1, 2014 | Middle East

Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Iraq’s elections campaign got under way on Tuesday, marking the end of a political crisis after members of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) withdrew their resignation following a row with the government. Disputes between the...

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Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr delivers a speech from the southern Iraqi city of Najaf on February 18, 2014. Al-Sadr slammed Iraq’s government as corrupt and headed by a “dictator” while calling on citizens to vote, just days after announcing his exit from politics. (AFP PHOTO/Haidar Hamdani)

Iraq: Sadr calls for high turnout as election battle heats up

by Hamza Mustafa | Mar 21, 2014 | Middle East

Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—In his second media appearance since he announced his intention to quit politics, Iraqi Shi’ite leader Moqtada Al-Sadr called on the people of Iraq to participate in the forthcoming parliamentary elections to prevent “thieves” and...

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Shiite cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr speaks during a press conference in the Shi’ite holy city of Najaf. (AP Photo/ Alaa al-Marjani)

Opinion: Sadr’s Surprise

by Abdulrahman Al-Rashed | Feb 18, 2014 | Opinion

Iraqi Shi’ite cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr surprised us when he announced he was quitting politics, urging his followers to also refrain from getting too engaged here. Does his decision imply a secret agreement whereby one of the remaining candidates has a better...

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A member of the Iraqi security forces stand guard outside a polling station during provincial elections on April 20, 2013, in the northern city of Kirkuk. (AFP PHOTO/MARWAN IBRAHIM)

Announcement of Douri’s Arrest Sparks Speculation

by Asharq Al-Awsat | Apr 21, 2013 | Middle East

Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Rumors that Iraqi officials were searching for Izzat Al-Douri, Saddam Hussein’s former vice president and current secretary of the now-outlawed Ba’ath party, emerged late last week. The news came on the eve of Iraq’s first elections...