”Boycotts do not work.” That was the declaration of a well-respected analyst during an event I recently spoke at on the upcoming elections in Iraq. Her position was that those choosing to boycott elections as a means of changing a bad situation would fail in achieving that change. She argued that if voters do not turn out to vote, they could not expect better results. In theory, that is a valid argument. However, sometimes voter boycotts are the only way to take away the power of political parties who claim to represent the people, while not serving them.
A major debate is currently taking place in Iraq about elections – and the merits and drawbacks of boycotting them. Iraq’s parliamentary elections are slated to be held on October 10, which will lead to the formation of a new government. These are early elections, called by Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi soon after he assumed office last summer. Mr Al Kadhimi was named prime minister due to the resignation of his predecessor, Adel Abdul Mahdi, after protests demanding his departure swept through the country. The protests kicked off in October 2019 and reached their peak in the summer of 2020, before a string of assassinations and Covid-19 largely deflated them. The protesters had a number of demands, including early elections in order to eject corrupt officials and a political system that relies on sectarian and ethnic divisions, rather than public service or competent government. Activists and protesters also demanded electoral reforms, knowing full well that elections without electoral reform and weeding out corruption would only lead to a repetition of the failed politics of the past 18 years.
While some electoral reforms have been enacted, the main parliamentary system based on coalition building between the powerful parties is still very much intact. With concerns about the influence of militias on a number of political parties and the level of corruption in the system, there is little hope for renewal or change to come through the ballot box. Thus, calls from protesters, activists and ordinary Iraqis have been rising to boycott the elections. A number of small parties, such as the Communist Party, which have been aligned with the protesters, also announced withdrawing their candidates in the past few weeks and boycotting the elections. However, their actual impact on the elections will still be limited.
Then a major development occurred. On July 15, the Iraqi cleric Moqtada Al Sadr, whose parliamentary bloc currently has the largest number of seats and was expected to repeat that success in the October vote, announced that he would boycott the elections. He also declared that he would not endorse any candidates or government. Mr Al Sadr wants to reposition himself as a voice of the protest movement, despite being deeply rooted in the current political system and benefiting from it. Furthermore, he may be sensing that after the catastrophic handling of Covid-19, his popularity is severely damaged. His affiliates have largely controlled Iraq’s Ministry of Health for years and have been complicit in both mismanagement and corruption eroding the country’s healthcare system.
Since Mr Al Sadr has raised the stakes by boycotting the elections, others have joined in, including former prime minister Ayad Allawi. It seems that the boycotters are becoming an electoral constituency in themselves, and political parties want to win favour with them. In 2018, the official count for voter participation was 44 per cent. However, with fraud and ballot box stuffing, the more accurate number is at 20 to 25 per cent. This is a sharp decline from 70 per cent in 2005 when optimism was high in Iraq and the peaceful transition of power through the ballot box was lauded. As elections after elections brought in incompetent governments, led by sectarian and corrupt considerations, disillusion set in.
The sectarian divisions encouraged by political parties leave little appeal to voters to have faith in the system
When it comes to political change, few Iraqis today believe it can be attained through the ballot box. Political parties have a strong hold on the political system and have the resources and connections to ensure they can secure many of their interests. Independents stand little chance at getting the majority of votes and being able to form the government.
However, Mr Al Kadhimi is urging Iraqis to go to the polls, as the best means to vote out corrupt officials and vote in new MPs to Iraq’s 329 seats in parliament. Those supporting the elections, including the UN and the Independent High Electoral Commission, stress there is nothing pre-determined in this process. That is the appeal of elections. However, the issue in Iraq isn’t limited to the day of the vote. The fragmentation of the political system means governments are formed based on “compromise” that is largely akin to horse-trading. The sectarian divisions encouraged by the majority of political parties, as part of a policy of divide and conquer, leave little appeal to regular voters to have faith in the electoral system.
There is a general sense of disillusionment in Iraq, with a recent Chatham House survey showing that 83 per cent of Iraqis agree with the sentiments of the October 2019 protests. Boycotts are not a solution. But they are a form of protest, a form of expressing discontent and refusing to rubberstamp a corrupted system. The boycotters do not want to enable the system. While boycotts may not work to find a solution and do not represent an effective strategy, at least they ensure that the boycotters are not complicit in sustaining the problem.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
MATCH INFO
Alaves 1 (Perez 65' pen)
Real Madrid 2 (Ramos 52', Carvajal 69')
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
If you go
The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road.
The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
The%20new%20Turing%20Test
%3Cp%3EThe%20Coffee%20Test%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3EA%20machine%20is%20required%20to%20enter%20an%20average%20American%20home%20and%20figure%20out%20how%20to%20make%20coffee%3A%20find%20the%20coffee%20machine%2C%20find%20the%20coffee%2C%20add%20water%2C%20find%20a%20mug%20and%20brew%20the%20coffee%20by%20pushing%20the%20proper%20buttons.%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EProposed%20by%20Steve%20Wozniak%2C%20Apple%20co-founder%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
LAST-16 EUROPA LEAGUE FIXTURES
Wednesday (Kick-offs UAE)
FC Copenhagen (0) v Istanbul Basaksehir (1) 8.55pm
Shakhtar Donetsk (2) v Wolfsburg (1) 8.55pm
Inter Milan v Getafe (one leg only) 11pm
Manchester United (5) v LASK (0) 11pm
Thursday
Bayer Leverkusen (3) v Rangers (1) 8.55pm
Sevilla v Roma (one leg only) 8.55pm
FC Basel (3) v Eintracht Frankfurt (0) 11pm
Wolves (1) Olympiakos (1) 11pm
more from Janine di Giovanni
Tips%20for%20holiday%20homeowners
%3Cp%3EThere%20are%20several%20factors%20for%20landlords%20to%20consider%20when%20preparing%20to%20establish%20a%20holiday%20home%3A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3E%3Cstrong%3ERevenue%20potential%20of%20the%20unit%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20location%2C%20view%20and%20size%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3E%3Cstrong%3EDesign%3A%20furnished%20or%20unfurnished.%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Is%20the%20design%20up%20to%20standard%2C%20while%20being%20catchy%20at%20the%20same%20time%3F%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3E%3Cstrong%3EBusiness%20model%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20will%20it%20be%20managed%20by%20a%20professional%20operator%20or%20directly%20by%20the%20owner%2C%20how%20often%20does%20the%20owner%20wants%20to%20use%20it%20for%20personal%20reasons%3F%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3E%3Cstrong%3EQuality%20of%20the%20operator%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20guest%20reviews%2C%20customer%20experience%20management%2C%20application%20of%20technology%2C%20average%20utilisation%2C%20scope%20of%20services%20rendered%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3ESource%3A%20Adam%20Nowak%2C%20managing%20director%20of%20Ultimate%20Stay%20Vacation%20Homes%20Rental%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ELeap%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMarch%202021%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ziad%20Toqan%20and%20Jamil%20Khammu%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Undisclosed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
