Two pillars.. and what?!

The political system in Iraq after 2003 relied on two pillars: the first, the peaceful transfer of power based on partisan pluralism and free elections that express the will of the people to choose their representatives. The second: freedom of expression, represented by the freedom of the press, publication and peaceful demonstration. Although the social debate in the comparison between the “before and after” phases of change has not been resolved in evaluating various aspects of security, services, the economy, and the prestige of the state and its institutions, these two pillars - the peaceful transfer of power and freedom of expression - have remained the greatest achievements of the phase of change and the crutch on which its supporters and advocates rely. Considering that they are the basis for building the modern state that the Iraqis aspire to in their future. The obvious weakness in post-change (state) institutions and the loss of their ability to extend security and provide basic services did not make them lose much of the legitimacy of continuity and permanence as long as the strikes did not target the two pillars of the political system. Thus, the experience of sectarian war, the protests of 2010 and 2015, and the occupation of a third of Iraq by ISIS in 2014 passed without real fears of the collapse of the fragile state entity. However, the real alarm sounded when the state faced a massive decline in popular participation in the 2018 elections, which resulted from great despair among large popular sectors of the possibility of making a real change to the conditions of life in which they live through the ballot box. The crumbling (state) system lost one of its pillars and proceeded with one foot, the title of which was preserving (freedom of expression), which was guaranteed by its permanent constitution. All of this is due to the clear heedlessness of a political class that does not read or realize the imminent danger, except for some special individual cases.

And after the apprehensive regime in Abdul-Mahdi's government moved in, crowds of protesters calling for better living conditions and jobs were targeted by "third parties", as the government declared. It coincided with the targeting of civil activists and opinion-makers on social media, with murder and kidnapping. International parties that possess media tools have contributed to shedding light on these unjustified violations in order to destroy what remains of the regime's legitimacy, status and popular support, which is already waning. This is an expression of its implicit dissatisfaction with the Iraqi government's openness to other international parties without real guarantees for its interests. The political parties participating in the government did not have enough flexibility to mobilize their energies in absorbing the event and dealing with it professionally and intelligently. The dispersion of political discourse, lack of experience, conflict of interests, and the dependence of political parties on one another helped in finding a way out of the protest tunnel.

  There is only a last-minute option left to achieve balance and prevent slipping into total collapse, which is the reference of the honorable Najaf. Its main role during the protest movement was represented in preserving the two pillars in neutralizing the protest demands with a basic demand represented in restoring the legitimacy of the political system through early elections according to a new system and electoral commission. This corresponds to caring for the citizen's right to demonstrate and express his opinion by demanding accountability for those responsible for the killings and kidnappings.

In those critical circumstances, the Al-Kazemi government was born to face a stifling financial crisis and a spreading global epidemic. However, the main challenge will not be anything other than restoring the legitimacy of the political system and preserving the supreme interests of the country in preparing for elections in which the voter will be truly represented, and in which the voter will regain their freedom of expression away from the targets of the "third party". Will the parties participating in the government realize the fact that we are on the brink of the abyss, and that it is the last chance? This is what the coming months will reveal.