[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-149367-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-149367-en":131},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","can-iraqs-democracy-still-be-saved","Can Iraq’s democracy still be saved?","","The analysis examines how Iraq’s democracy is repeatedly tested amid a prolonged political impasse and the resulting street-level unrest. It recounts how supporters of Muqtada Al-Sadr stormed parliament and staged sit-ins, disrupting the process for forming a government after the 2021 election. It evaluates competing narratives about Al-Sudani, assesses why civil war appears unlikely for religious and political reasons, and highlights how low turnout and violent repression have weakened public trust in democratic legitimacy.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & Report",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/can-iraqs-democracy-still-be-saved/149367/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/can-iraqs-democracy-still-be-saved/149367.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Valentina","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-08","2026-08-27",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",13,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"Why did supporters storm Iraq’s parliament and stage sit-ins?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"They acted after years of political deadlock, seeking to prevent the planned election of Mohammad Shia Al-Sudani as prime minister.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"What political impasse followed the October 2021 election?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"Fragmented mainly Shi’ite forces competed for influence, while Al-Sadr’s movement emerged with 73 of 329 seats and demanded a majority government, clashing with the Coordination Framework’s call for unity government.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"Why does the civil war scenario seem unlikely right now?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"The main contenders are Shi’ite groups observing Muḥarram, when going to war is forbidden, and they also understand that conflict would reduce their share of power and ability to distribute benefits.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},149367,1787798538,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,101,106,111,115,120,123,127],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":97,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":98,"show_sort_weight":99,"slug":100},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":102,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":103,"show_sort_weight":104,"slug":105},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":107,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":108,"show_sort_weight":109,"slug":110},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":112,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":113,"slug":114},8,30,"research-report",{"id":116,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":117,"show_sort_weight":118,"slug":119},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":118,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":121,"show_sort_weight":118,"slug":122},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":124,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":125,"show_sort_weight":124,"slug":126},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":128,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":129,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":130},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":132},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":133,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":134,"doc_module":4,"category_id":112,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":135,"file_id":136,"file_url":137,"file_type":138,"file_size":139,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":33,"language":140,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":80,"read_time":124},13056703020460,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/be000253dac470eee5d?_k=1778207105932848923","DEMOCRACY AND SOCIETY 08.08.2022 | Sarah Hepp  \nCan Iraq’s democracy still be saved?  \nThe storming of the Iraqi parliament by supporters of AlSadr were motivated by years of political impasse—threatening Iraq's democracy and peace  \nIraq’s stricken democracy is being stress-tested once again and the Iraqi population is paying the price. In the past weeks, supporters of Shi’ite leader Muqtada Al-Sadr have stormed the Iraqi parliament and staged asit-in twice. Their protest thwarted the scheduled election of Mohammad Shia Al-Sudani as prime minister. Al-Sudani was nominated by the Shi-ite Coordination Framework, which brings together various groups and militias, with the exception of Al-Sadr’s movement.  \nA political impasse has gripped Iraq since the election in October 2021, as fragmented, mainly Shi’ite forces have vied for influence. The movement of Shi’ite cleric Al-Sadr emerged as the winner, with 73 out of the 329 seats, while two established Iran-backed Shia coalitions – the Fatah Alliance and the Alliance of National State Forces – suffered major losses. After the election, Al-Sadr wanted to form a majority government in the shape of a triple alliance comprising his movement, the Sunni Taqaddum Coalition and the Kurdish KDP. The Shi’ite Coordination Framework, however, demanded the continuation of a unity government, which is common in Iraq, of which it would form part.  \nAfter they had failed to form a government the Sadr movement MPs resigned. This left the ball in the Coordination Framework’s court. However, Sadr’s withdrawal from parliament is regarded as a strategic ploy in an effort to earn credibility as an alleged outsider against a corrupt political elite, enabling it to mobilise popular protests. Against this background the biggest demonstrations since the mass protests of October 2019, as well as the parliamentary sit-in are scarcely surprising.  \nNoway around Al-Sadr  \nThe current demonstrations are not personally linked to Al-Sudani. The Sadrists portray Al-Sudani as a puppet of Nouri Al-Maliki, leader of the State of Law Coalition and former prime minister from 2006 to 2014,  \nalthough Iraq experts cast doubt on this. In any case, Al-Sudani, minister for human rights under Nouri Al-Maliki, would not be a bad choice in comparison with other potential candidates. In the wake of recent events, however, Al-Sudani doesn’t have much chance of assuming the premiership.  \nPotential scenarios range from new elections to the resumption of civil war.  \nThere appears to be no route around populist king-maker Al-Sadr. On the one hand, he denounces corruption, mismanagement, and Iran’s sway over Iraq, but he’s hardly Mr Clean himself. His impulsiveness drastically limits Iraq’s options for peaceful and democratic solutions. This threatens to set in motion a spiral of escalation that has so far not cost any lives, but has already injured over 100 people on the side of the protesters and the security forces.  \nPotential scenarios range from new elections to the resumption of civil war. Two factors make the civil war scenario unlikely, however, at least for now. First, confronting one another here are groups of Iraqi Shia – Al-Sadr and the Shi’ite Coordination Framework – that, although at odds over Iran’s influence and the form of government, share religious views and are celebrating the holy month of Muḥarram. This is the first month of the Islamic calendar, in which Shi’ites mourn the family tragedy of Ḥusayn ibn ʿAlī. Going to war is forbidden during this period. Secondly, the actors in this power struggle are well aware that a civil war could diminish their share of power and curtail their ability to distribute largesse.  \nPeople’s trust in democracy is shaken  \nThe main victims of this political blockade are democracy and the Iraqi people. In any case, the record low turnout of 43.5 per cent undermined parliamentary legitimacy. Even more so with the Sadrist MPs’ withdrawal from parliament, which now represents only ","cbCaioO28gqZXxWC","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaioO28gqZXxWC","pdf",74855,"English","# Can Iraq’s democracy still be saved?\n## Political impasse and parliamentary unrest\n## Key actors and potential scenarios\n## Erosion of public trust in democracy\n## Prospects for peaceful political change","[{\"question\":\"Why did supporters storm Iraq’s parliament and stage sit-ins?\",\"answer\":\"They acted after years of political deadlock, seeking to prevent the planned election of Mohammad Shia Al-Sudani as prime minister.\"},{\"question\":\"What political impasse followed the October 2021 election?\",\"answer\":\"Fragmented mainly Shi’ite forces competed for influence, while Al-Sadr’s movement emerged with 73 of 329 seats and demanded a majority government, clashing with the Coordination Framework’s call for unity government.\"},{\"question\":\"Why does the civil war scenario seem unlikely right now?\",\"answer\":\"The main contenders are Shi’ite groups observing Muḥarram, when going to war is forbidden, and they also understand that conflict would reduce their share of power and ability to distribute benefits.\"}]","Can Iraq’s democracy still be saved? | PDF"]