Iraq votes: Q & A

December 15, 2005
Sorgon Zaya holds his marked finger to indicate that he has voted.

Photo: Craig Abraham

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When Iraqis go to the polls today they will be voting for the third time in a year. Why have there been so many elections?
In January, elections were held for a transitional government, whose task was to write a new constitution. The constitution was approved by a national referendum in October, which cleared the way for elections this month. When the new government comes in, it will be Iraq's first fully sovereign democratic government.

Who is campaigning?
There will be about 230 choices on the ballot papers, made up of political parties and individuals. Candidates will be allocated seats on the 275-member national assembly according to their share of the votes. The different assembly members must then elect a president and prime minister before they can form a government. That new government will hold office for four years.

Is the government's political make-up likely to change?
Yes. Iraq's Sunni community, which was powerful under Saddam Hussein, boycotted January's vote as part of a protest against the US occupation. This time Sunnis are expected to turn out in large numbers because their boycott led to the transitional government being dominated by Shiites. The Sunni votes are likely to reduce the Shiite dominance, although it will not remove it completely.

Is there likely to be violence?
Many Sunni insurgents who issued death threats against those voting in January now plan to vote themselves. But there will still be heavy security, with private cars banned from the roads on voting day to prevent car bombers at polling stations.

Who is likely to be the new prime minister?
Ibrahim al-Jaafari, the Shiite incumbent, is likely to be replaced after being widely seen as ineffectual. Possible replacements include Adel Abdul Mehdi or Hussein al Shahristani, both fellow politicians from his Shiite Unity party. Outsiders are Ahmad Chalabi, the former Pentagon-backed favourite, and Iyad Allawi, who was caretaker prime minister until the elections in January. The election of either man would be regarded as a compromise.

When will the results be known?
Vote counting will be over in a matter of weeks. But the task of agreeing to senior positions in government took nearly three months last time.

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