Federalism Demands in South

A number of political parties and their supporters in Iraq’s south are calling on the country’s new government to give more power to the governorates.

They say successive federal governments in Baghdad have squandered the money and the goodwill of the Iraqi people and that has to change.

“The central regime proved its failure in Iraq as Iraq is multi-national and multi-sect country," said Ahmed Ali, a law student in Karbala, expressing a commonly held view in the region.

A sizeable number of people believe Iraq’s Transitional Administrative Law, which was drafted by the former Coalition Provisional Authority, set the stage for a federalist movement in the governorates, by allowing them to band together into special regions.

Article 53c of the TAL says, “Any group of no more than three governorates outside the Kurdistan region, with the exception of Baghdad and Kirkuk, shall have the right to form regions from amongst themselves.” Such petitions must be approved by the National Assembly and voters in the respective governorates in a referendum.

A top official of the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution of Iraq, SCIRI, said the Shia political party plans to set up a federal system in Karbala, one of Shia Islam’s holiest cities. SCIRI is one of the leading parties in the United Iraq Alliance, the candidate list supported by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

"We will set up a special system for the city, because it has its own characteristics and this is the right of the people of Karbala as it has been agreed upon in TAL,” said Hussein Salih Al-Shummari, manager of SCIRI’s political bureau in Karbala.

Proponents of the federalist system say Baghdad could control matters of national defense and foreign policy, leaving all other issues up to the governorates. They cite the relative prosperity and stability of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region as proof that federalism can work in Iraq. The Kurds have ruled themselves since their region fell out of former president Saddam Hussein’s control after the 1991 Gulf War.

Supporters of federalism say provincial leaders will be more responsive to their local constituents and be better stewards of their tax money.

Teacher Salah Abdul-Hasan said it is imperative that Karbala’s budget be separate from Baghdad, "If the city stays connected to the Baghdad government..the city will not get benefit from anything as the government works to develop the capital only and doesn't pay attention to the governorates," he said.

But others argue that federalism could foster more corruption at the local level or encourage the break up of Iraq’s multi-ethnic society. “Being connected to the centre in all affairs is better because the centre is more powerful and it’s easier for [Baghdad] to control violations that might take place in the governorates," said bookshop owner Muhannad Zghayyr.

Diwaniyah educational supervisor Ghazi Muslim Shawi said while federalism is an attractive idea, Iraq’s current security situation makes it impossible. "For the time being I think that federalism is not suitable because of our bad situation, but it is a possibility once Iraq is stabilised," he said.

Ghassan Ali and Hussein Ali al-Yasiry are IWPR trainee journalists in Iraq.