Iraq’s Crucial Parliamentary Elections

Iraqis are going to the polls today in large numbers in one of the most crucial elections since Saddam’s fall. Some 6,200 candidates are competing for 325 seats in the new parliament, which would pick the new premier to lead Iraqi government for the next four years.

The Associated Press has looked at the major alliances and coalitions that are taking part in today’s elections:

• Iraqi National Alliance (INA): A broad religious Shiite coalition led by the Iranian-backed Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council (SIIC), the radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and the Fadhila party. Of the main Shiite-led alliances, the INA is the most closely aligned with Iran.
• State of Law Coalition: Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Dawa Party is the backbone of a moderate coalition that includes smaller, independent groups of Shiites and Sunnis. Al-Maliki will be hard pressed to emulate his success in the provincial elections now that his Shiite rivals have joined forces against him.
• Iraqiya: Led by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, a Shiite, and prominent Sunni politician, Saleh al-Mutlaq. The coalition, billed as secular, is backed by Shiites and Sunnis as well as former members of Saddam's regime.
• Iraq Unity Alliance: Led by Interior Minister Jawad al-Bolani, a Shiite who enjoys popularity among the police force he oversees, and Ahmed Abu Risha, leader of the Anbar province Awakening Council - a Sunni tribal militia that joined the US- led fight against insurgents in 2006. The coalition is a newcomer in Iraqi politics.
• Iraqi Accordance: A moderate coalition that is the main Sunni bloc in parliament. It is dominated by the Iraqi Islamic Party - the largest Sunni political party in Iraq.
• Kurdish Alliance: Made up of four Kurdish parties, the bloc is dominated by two powerful political groups - the KDP and PUK. The Kurdish is one of the more powerful in the current parliament because of the number of seats it holds and its unified voting bloc. A newcomer to the political scene in Kurdistan, called "Gorran," or "Change," has been lately challenging the two parties' dominance in Kurdish politics.