Alliance Towards Reforms

The Alliance Towards Reforms or Marching Towards Reform, also known by its Arabic short form Saairun (Arabic: سائرون‎, Saairun, lit. 'Forward'[10]), is an Iraqi electoral coalition formed to gain political control in the 2018 general election. The main components are the Shi’a Islamist Sadrist Integrity Party, the leftist Iraqi Communist Party,[11] the Youth Movement for Change Party, the Party of Progress and Reform and the Iraqi Republican Group and the State of Justice Party.[12][13] The alliance won 54 seats, more than any other coalition in the election.

Alliance Towards Reforms
Forward

سائرون (Saairun)
LeaderHassan al-Aquli[1][2][3] (Political leader)
Muqtada al-Sadr (Spiritual leader)
Founded25 January 2018[4]
IdeologyIraqi nationalism[5]
Anti-corruption[5]
Catch-all[6]
Factions:
Social democracy[7]
Syncretic politics[8]
Shi'a political thought[9]
Communism
Political positionBig tent
Colors  Dark Cyan
  Turquoise
Council of Representatives
54 / 329
Seats in the Governorate Councils
45 / 440
Governors
1 / 18

In the previous election, the Sadrists (a Shia movement emerging in the 1990s to oppose President Saddam Hussein) had run as the Al-Ahrar Bloc and won 34 seats.[14] They initially supported the al Abadi government, with Baha al-Araji serving as one of the Deputy Prime Ministers.[15] However, they later withdrew this stance, organizing protests against government corruption and sectarianism. On 30 April 2016, supporters of the Alliance Towards Reforms occupied the Council of Representatives in protest.[16]

Opposition

During a visit to Iran three months before the election, senior Iranian politician Ali Akbar Velayati declared: "We will not allow liberals and communists to govern Iraq," in reference to the Alliance. This comment was criticized by Iraqi secular MP's as interference in the internal affairs of Iraq.[17]

2018 elections

The 2018 elections saw significant gains for the Alliance Towards Reforms. They won 17 seats in Baghdad, 6 seats in Dhi Qar, 5 in Maysan and Basra, 4 in Najaf and Babil, 3 in Karbala, Qadissiya and Wasit, and 2 seats in Muthanna and Diyala.[18] A communist woman representing the Alliance, Suhad al-Khateeb, was elected in the 2018 elections to represent the city of Najaf which was deemed to be one of the most religious and conservative cities in Iraq. Khateeb, who is a teacher and an anti-poverty and women's rights activist, said upon her victory: "We, the Communist party, have a long history of honesty - we were not agents for foreign occupations. We want social justice, citizenship, and are against sectarianism. This is also what Iraqis want."[19]

Election results
Election year # of
overall votes		 % of
overall vote		 # of
overall seats won		 +/– Government
2018 1,500,862 (#1)
54 / 329
 54 Coalition Partner

References
  1. shooq. "كلمة د.حسن العاقولي رئيس تحالف "سائرون"". www.iraqicp.com.
  2. ""سائرون": يصعب التوصل لتقاربات سياسية مع التحالفات الأخرى لخوض الانتخابات". 21 January 2018.
  3. "لقاء خاص مع رئيس تحالف سائرون د. حسن العاقولي". www.alrasheedmedia.com.
  4. shooq. "إعلان تحالف "سائرون" لخوض الانتخابات البرلمانية والمحلية". www.iraqicp.com.
  5. "Opinion - Can a Shiite Cleric Pull Iraq Out of the Sectarian Trap?". 11 May 2018 – via NYTimes.com.
  6. "Sadr calls for technocratic government in pun-heavy tweet".
  7. "Sadr willing to ally with Iraqi blocs to form technocratic government". english.alarabiya.net.
  8. "Interview with the Iraqi Communist Party". 18 July 2003.
  9. "The Sadrist–Communist Alliance: Implications for Iraq's Secular Politics". 6 June 2018. Retrieved 30 October 2019.
  10. "Who Is Moqtada al-Sadr? The Cleric Who Attacked U.S. Troops and Is Iraq's Likely Next PM". Reuters. 15 May 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  11. "Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr bloc wins Iraq elections". BBC News. 18 May 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  12. "Meet Iraq's plentiful parliamentary alliances". Shafaq News. 26 January 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  13. "The Sadrist–Communist Alliance: Implications for Iraq's Secular Politics". Middle East Centre. 6 June 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  14. See 2014 Iraqi parliamentary election for further details.
  15. "EIFA - A look at the new Iraqi Cabinet". 10 September 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  16. "Shia protesters storm Iraq parliament". BBC News. 30 April 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  17. Mamouri, Ali (26 February 2018). "Iranian interference in Iraqi election stirs anger among Iraqis". Al-Monitor. Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  18. "Alliance of Shiites and communists in Iraq". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  19. "First female Communist elected in Iraq's holiest city calls for 'social justice'". Middle East Eye. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
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