Parliamentary elections in Iraq have been boycotted by Christian parties who say that seats reserved for them have been “snatched” by a gaggle with ties to an Iranian-backed Shia Islamic militia.
Five of Iraq’s 329 seats are officially reserved for Christians, nevertheless based on anti-persecution group Open Doors, a loophole within the system effectively allows non-Christians to vote on who the “Christian” representatives might be.
The results of that is that at that within the last parliamentary elections in 2021, 4 of the five Christian seats were taken by a gaggle often known as The Babylon Movement.
Ostensibly a Chaldean Catholic political party, The Babylon Movement is in truth largely comprised of, and supported by, Shia Muslims. The group also has an armed wing, The Babylon Brigade, which based on the Washington Institute for the Near East Policy, is backed by the Iranian government.
The Chaldean Catholic Church has previously stated that it has no relationship with The Babylon Movement.
An anonymous Christian legal expert from Iran told Open Doors, “As Christians, we have now a giant problem. The quota has been snatched from us. In Mosul there isn’t any competition inside Christian parties since the candidates belong to the identical party – to the Babylon Movement.
“The consequence is already settled. Even if 1,000 Christians vote, the party will bring one other 3,000 votes from non-Christians and win. So non-Christians resolve for Christians in terms of their representatives. It’s misery for us.”
He added that the so-called representatives of the Christian community had not once spoken as much as defend the interests of Christians or Christianity.
Initially the system of seats reserved for minorities only permitted members of those minorities to vote for them. However, a court ruling in 2009 decreed that any Iraqi could vote within the elections for reserved seats.
An area Christian in his 40s told Open Doors that the elections are a sham designed to placed on image abroad.
“The consequence of the present elections is already known. The elections are only symbolic for the international community to point out that it’s a democratic process. After every election it is obvious to us that the candidates and winners are agreed upon earlier,” he said.
“Most of the present representatives of Christians don’t represent us and the only a few who’re left don’t have any authority to make any change. If the elections are corrupted and get the international community’s approval, this can again lead to a different 4 years of theft, commissions and corruption.”
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