The Fatah Alliance has rebranded and expanded its electoral platform in preparation for provincial council elections to include a broader array of resistance factions.
Hadi al-Amiri will head “Tahaluf Nabni” (We Build Alliance) in the December elections. Nabni retains most of Fatah’s existing parties but also incorporates some key new players. The alliance is made up of the following movements and coalitions:
Badr Organization, led by Hadi al-Amiri
Al-Safwa Al-Wataniya, a new coalition of mostly resistance factions made up of Qais al-Khazali’s Asaib Ahl Al-Haq, Kataib Sayyid Al-Shuhada, Ansar Allah Al-Awfiya, the Kataib Hezbollah-aligned Huquq Movement, and Hanan al-Fatlawi’s Irada Party
Al-Aqd Al-Watani, led by Falih Al-Fayyadh
Khadamat (Services Alliance), led by Minister of Labour Ahmed al-Asadi and Kataib Imam Ali’s Shibl al-Zaidi
Harakat Al-Jihad wa Al-Bina, a Saddam era resistance faction led by Jawad Rahim Qasim
Iqtidar Watan, led by former Minister of Youth and Sport Abdul Husayn Abtan
While a number of resistance factions that had previously not competed in elections have joined Nabni’s ranks, it is difficult to predict how well they will perform at bringing in votes. The Huquq Movement is a useful case in point. Established by Kataib Hezbollah’s Husayn Munes prior to the 2021 parliamentary elections, the group performed poorly under the single non-transferable vote system. Although they secured a total of 95,000 votes, they were only able to win a single seat in parliament. Following the Sadrist Bloc’s withdrawal, a further 5 Huquq candidates ascended to parliament.
Coordination Framework recalibrates electoral coalitions
Months-long negotiations between factions within the Coordination Framework to run on a united electoral platform ultimately failed to reach an agreement. Instead, 5 primary CF-aligned coalitions will compete in Baghdad and the central and southern provinces:
Nabni Alliance led by Hadi al-Amiri
State of Law Coalition led by Nouri al-Maliki
State Administration Forces led by Ammar al-Hakim and includes Haider al-Abadi
Nusahih Coalition led by the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI)
Al-Watad led by Muhsin al-Mandalawi that includes other independent MPs
According to unconfirmed reports, the Coordination Framework factions will however reconfigure their electoral platforms in the mixed provinces of Diyala, Salahadin, Kirkuk and Ninewa.
In Diyala, three CF-aligned coalitions are expected to compete:
Diyala National Coalition, includes State of Law, Badr, and al-Aqd al-Watani
Hikma Movement, led by Ammar Al-Hakim
Al-Safwa Alliance, led by AAH and Kataib Imam Ali
In Salahadin and Kirkuk, the Coordination Framework will run on a united electoral platform called the National Framework Alliance.
In Ninewa, it is expected that the CF will field a similar platform called the Hadba National Alliance, but Falih al-Fayyadh’s al-Aqd al-Watani has reportedly chosen to run separately with the governor of Mosul.
Meanwhile, PM Sudani’s Furatayn Movement issued a statement today confirming that it will not participate in elections, nor will it support any other coalition or party. The movement justified its decision by saying that Sudani was focused on ensuring the successful organization of elections.