Bullets have preceded the ballot box in Iraq. This is because a car bomb killed parliamentary candidate Safaa al-Mashhadani, Al Ain News, a UAE-based news site, reported.
The assassination “has cast a spotlight on the upcoming Iraqi elections, amid questions about the incident’s repercussions on political competition and public confidence in the electoral process,” the report said.
“The crime carries disturbing messages about the intermingling of weapons with politics, threatens the stability of the regime, and exposes the limits of the government’s ability to impose its authority in the face of attempts at chaos and escalation,” Al Ain News quoted a commentator as saying.
Mashhadani was running as part of the Sovereignty (Siyada) Alliance. This is a Sunni party that is led by Parliament Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani.
Iraq's test
Now, Iraq faces a crucial test, according to various reports.
“The killing of al-Mashhadani represents a dangerous phenomenon that adds to the series of crises plaguing the Iraqi political system,” former Iraqi diplomat and political analyst Dr. Ghazi al-Faisal told Al Ain News.
This “heinous [and] unjustified crime could lead to confrontations and an escalation of violence between political forces if the judiciary does not act swiftly and decisively to achieve justice and redress for the victim,” he said.
“Letting matters proceed in an atmosphere of political chaos and anarchy exacerbates the crisis and deepens futile conflicts between parties over gains, influence, and interests,” Faisal said, adding that such practices “threaten civil peace and undermine citizens’ confidence in the political process.”
There are questions about who was behind the murder of Mashhadani.
Dr. Alaa Mustafa told Al Ain News: “Al-Mashhadani’s assassination was a major shock and a real catastrophe… Was it a criminal offense or an organized terrorist act?”
He urged quick action to learn the details.
“Mustafa suggested the crime was likely criminal in nature, noting that Al-Mashhadani had recently stood up against the demolition of agricultural land, and its conversion into residential areas, and had sought to protect the Green Belt around Baghdad,” the report said. “This may have harmed the interests of some gangs or suspicious entities that resorted to this cowardly act.”
“The Sovereignty Coalition [Alliance] is one of the most prominent Sunni alliances participating in the elections and is participating in several governorates, including Baghdad, Kirkuk, Diyala, Salah al-Din, Nineveh, and Anbar,” Al Ain News reported.
No group has taken responsibility for the murder, the report said.
The United Nations Assistance Mission condemned the bombing and called for “a prompt and transparent investigation to hold the perpetrators accountable.”
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani said he would form a joint criminal task force to find out what happened.
The Azem Alliance, led by MP Muthanna al-Samarrai, said the attack was a “dangerous escalation that threatens state security and the integrity of the elections.”
Khamis al-Khanjar, of the Sovereignty Alliance said the murder was “an episode in a series of political assassinations targeting national forces.”