2013 Al Anbar governorate election

The Al Anbar governorate election of 2013 was held on 20 June 2013 alongside elections for Nineveh.

2013 Al Anbar governorate election

20 June 2013 (2013-06-20)
All 30 seats for the al-Anbar Governorate council
Turnout	49.5%[1] (9.5%)
Governor of Al Anbar before election Qasim Al-Fahdawi Independent Subsequent Governor Ahmed Khalaf Dheyabi Iraqi Islamic Party

Background

Whilst elections for 13 of Iraq's 18 governorates were held on 20 April, elections in the governorates of Al Anbar and Nineveh were delayed due to security concerns arising from the ongoing insurgency and Sunni-led protests.[2]

Campaign

Entities

A total of 17 political parties and coalitions contested the election, fielding a total of 548 candidates.[3] The top four most popular groups were;

Mutahidun (The United)

Mutahidun is a major political force in Ninewa and Anbar, including in its ranks former finance minister Rafia al-Issawi's Future Gathering and tribal leader Ahmed Abu Risha's Awakening (Sahwa) Conference in addition to the Iraqi Islamic Party (IIP). The main leaders of the Mutahidun List were the two Nujaifi brothers; Usama and Atheel. The Nujaifis are not from Al Anbar, however, and so had formed these political alliances to garner more votes. In Anbar, tribal dynamics and locale trump politics and ideology, which, by contrast, are more prominent in Nineveh. The groups composing the Uniters List in Anbar had collectively won 14 seats in the 2009 elections.[3]

Aabiroun Coalition

Aabiroun looked likely to win seats in the run up to the election. Led by then incumbent governor Mohammed Qassim al-Fahdawi, the coalition was composed of nine groups and mostly relied on popular appeal deriving from Fahdawi's tenure as governor.[3]

Arabian Al Iraqia

Deputy Prime Minister Saleh al-Mutlaq competed under the Arab Iraqiyya coalition, consisting of six groups. The al-Hal movement ran as part of the coalition in both Anbar and Ninawa. The two groups had won a total of 9 seats at the previous election, however in the run up to the election Mutlaq had suffered from a declining popularity in Anbar.[3]

Al Iraqia National and United Coalition

The Al Iraqia National and United Coalition is led by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi and consists of 19 groups. The coalition won two seats in the 2009 elections. The elections will indicate Allawi’s political longevity among Iraqi Sunnis.[3]

Results

An IHEC spokesman announced the results on 27 June 2013, with the United List led by Iraqi parliamentary speaker Usama al-Nujayfi coming first, with 8 of the 30 seats. The Aabiroun Coalition; a bloc backed by Prime Minister Nour al-Maliki, came second with 5 seats.[4]

Muhammad Mahdi al-Salih, the former Minister of Trade under Saddam Hussein, was rumoured to be a candidate supported by the Uniters List for the position of Governor of Anbar.[5][6] The Uniters List later denied the rumours.[7]

Ahmed Khalaf Dheyabi, a protest organizer from the Iraqi Islamic Party and a member of the Uniters List, was eventually chosen as the new Governor.[8]

Summary of the 20 June 2013 Al Anbar governorate election results

Party/Coalition		Allied national parties	Leader	Seats	Change	Votes	%	±%
	Muttahidoon	al-Hadba National Future Gathering Anbar Salvation Council Iraqi Islamic Party	Usama al-Nujayfi Rafi al-Issawi Ahmed Abu Risha	8	6	115,605	27.89%	6.17%
	Aabiroun Coalition		Qasim Al-Fahdawi	5		62,581	15.10%
	Arabian Al Iraqia	Iraqi National Dialogue Front al-Hal	Saleh al-Mutlaq	4	5	57,332	13.83%	10.56%
	Al Iraqia National and United Coalition	Iraqi National Accord	Ayad Allawi	3	1	39,500	9.53%	2.73%
	Al Anbar United Coalition		Kamil al-Dulaymi	3		35,214	8.49%
	National Cooperation Coalition		Ali Farhan	2		32,718	7.89%
	People’s Will Project		Sheikh Mohamad Daham Al Farhan	2		25,210	6.08%
	Iraq’s Affluents		Sheikh Jamal Al Jadaan	1		10,785	2.60%
	Amiroun Coalition		Ahmad Raja	1		9,220	2.22%
	Valiants of Iraq Bloc		Sheikh Majed Ali Al Sulayman	1		8,932	2.15%
	Iraq’s Benevolence and Generosity List		Dr Rushdi Said
	Islamic Dawa Party - Iraq Organization		Hashim Al-Mosawy
	Arabs’ Frontier		Sheikh Karab Bin Ali Al Samrad
	Iraq’s Glory Coalition		Iyad Munjed Al Sulayman
	Al Anbar Citizens’ Unified Coalition		Abdul Salam Raja Nawaf
	Najem Abdullah Ahmad Saleh	Independent
Total				30	1	414,554	100%
Sources: al-Sumaria - al-Anbar Coalitions, ISW, Anbar Final Results - IHEC, Anbar Final Candidate Vote Results - IHEC

References

1. http://www.ncciraq.org/en/breaking-news/item/1200-al-shorfa-ballot-counting-begins-in-ninawa-and-anbar
2. "Two Iraqi policemen dead in attacks during provincial elections". Al-Akhbar. 20 June 2013. Archived from the original on 22 June 2013. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
3. Ahmed Ali (22 June 2013). "The Ninewa and Anbar Elections and the future of Iraq's Sunni Leadership". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
4. AP (27 June 2013). "Sunni list wins largest bloc in elections in Iraq's volatile Anbar province". Fox News. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
5. "Uniters candidate Muhammad Mahdi al-Salih, Minister of Commerce under the Saddam Regime, for the position of Governor of Anbar". Nakhel News. 19 July 2013. Archived from the original on 31 August 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
6. Amjad Salah, Ammar al-Ani (19 July 2013). "Nomination of former regime Minister of Commerce for post of Governor of Anbar Province". Al Sumaria. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
7. Ahmed Hussein (20 July 2013). "Motahidon denies nominating Salih for Anbar Governor Post". Iraqi News. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
8. Stephen Warrick (29 August 2013). "Maliki Eyes Third Term: 2013 Iraq Update #34". Institute for the Study of War. Retrieved 31 August 2013.