While the election campaign is in full swing elsewhere in Iraq, the hundreds of thousands of people in the country's camps for the displaced barely register on the radars of those running for office.
In "Camp Seven" in the western Anbar province not a single campaign poster can be seen appealing to those who have the right to cast their ballot at the parliamentary vote on May 12.
The rows of UN tents are part of nine sprawling encampments in the region housing thousands of people who fled the fight against ISIS.
About five months after the Iraqi government declared victory over the extremists they remain stuck in the desert camp — and apparently ignored by the country's politicians.
For many of the camp's residents the disinterest shown by the election candidates is mirrored by their own antipathy to those running.
"I have no confidence in them," says Umm Maher, who fled her home in Qaim, a former ISIS stronghold.
Heightening her anger, and that of others in the camp, is the destruction of their homes and the disappearance of male relatives they say were either killed or seized by security services during the battle against ISIS.
"If they want our votes, they can give us back our children and our homes," says the 50-year-old, who doesn't know the fate of her husband and son.
Going into the polls, Iraq is only just starting to recover from the years of ISIS dominance over swathes of the country and the punishing fight to force out the militants.
Out of a total displaced population of approximately two million people, about 285,000 are registered to vote, according to the electoral commission.
More than 160 polling stations are being installed in 70 displaced camps, spread across eight of the country's 18 provinces.
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In a bid to encourage the displaced to vote, election officials say identification requirements have been eased for those in the camps.
But despite that, Umm Maher is not the only female resident of Camp Seven who won't be voting, due to the trauma left behind by the violence.
"I will not vote until my eldest son returns," says 47-year-old Umm Ahmed, who hasn't seen her 20-year-old since he was seized three years ago.
"Besides, nobody has come to ask after us," says the former resident of Saqlawiya, another one-time ISIS stronghold, a black veil partially covering her face.
Politicians admit that despite the potential votes that could be won in the camps, few have ventured there.
"The campaign is absent in the camps and no candidate goes there, even though the votes of the displaced are important," confirms Hikmat Zeydan, from the Rally for the Unity of Iraq, fielding five candidates in Anbar.
Many "are afraid of finding themselves in a difficult situation, because they have done nothing to help the return of the displaced".
One candidate, running on a list for Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi's Shiite-dominated Victory Alliance in Samarra, north of Baghdad is blunt in explaining why he has stayed away from two nearby camps.
"We have not put up any posters and did not move [around there] because most families are Daesh," alleges Jassem Al Joubouri.
Elsewhere in the country some have made an effort at trying to represent the interests of the displaced.
Abdel Bari Abbas, fled his home west of the former ISIS bastion of Mosul, and is now standing as a candidate.
As he runs his campaign from Baharka camp, in Erbil province in Kurdistan, he insists his experiences give him a unique insight into how to help.
"My family and the majority of Mosul residents have had many struggles. It is necessary to have a candidate who will make their voices heard," says the 48-year-old Arabic teacher.
"The problems will not be solved without us and I promised myself that even if I am elected, my family and I will stay in the camp."
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In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Toss: South Africa, elected to bowl first
England (311-8): Stokes 89, Morgan 57, Roy 54, Root 51; Ngidi 3-66
South Africa (207): De Kock 68, Van der Dussen 50; Archer 3-27, Stokes 2-12
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
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