The low turnout could open the door to Sunni-led and Kurdish electoral lists to play an outsized role in the negotiations as well. Despite presiding over Iraq’s war on the Islamic State group, al-Abadi was opposed by other Shiite leaders who eclipsed him in charisma and popularity. “I am certain these elections are a failure,” said Abdelghani Awni, who was at a central Baghdad polling station as an observer. Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi is accused of inflicting torture on ordinary Sunnis during his fight against the ISIS. Marginalisation of Iraq’s Sunnis under al-Maliki is seen as a factor that allowed ISIS to rise in power in Iraq.

Source: Hindustan Times May 13, 2018 03:11 UTC