Trying to understand whether the upcoming Provincial elections in Iraq will change the balance of power in the country, Paul Jay speaks to Leila Fadel, Baghdad Bureau Chief of McClatchy Newspapers. Discussing the various provinces, Fadel says that in places such as the Ninevah Province, the Kurdish and Arab tensions are rising to the surface and the ballot box will really change the power brokers there. In Diyala, a province that has been dominated by Shia politicians but mostly populated by Suni Muslims, a major shift may happen as this will be the first time Sunis will vote there. Another aspect of the power structure in Iraq will become clear in relation to the power of the Sadrist movement as it has been “unclear how much the Sadr movement lost power,” says Fadel. It is clear though that the standard of life and the price of oil have not changed and that most in Iraq are frustrated with the current government and are going to express their disenchantment at the polls.
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