MAGIC OF ACCOUNTABILITY:

A Loss of Faith in City of Shiites: Anger at the governing religious party in Basra, considered ineffectual and corrupt by many, could produce an election-day surprise. (Ashraf Khalil, January 25, 2005, LA Times)

It wasn't supposed to be this way in Iraq's largest Shiite Muslim-dominated city.

Less than a week before the first national election since longtime oppressor Saddam Hussein was toppled, the mood of Basrans is generally downbeat, and their simmering frustration with the city's interim rulers could result in a surprise at the polls.

Allegations of widespread corruption, political power plays and an inability to improve the quality of life have damaged the popularity and electoral prospects of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, or SCIRI, the powerful Shiite religious party that in effect rules Basra province.

The party is scrambling to recover lost prestige in time for Sunday's vote, when provincial council elections will be held alongside national parliamentary balloting.

"If you don't offer anything for two years, the people are going to lose faith…. Bush and Bremer were better than these [SCIRI] guys," said Sajid Rikaby, assistant dean of the Basra University law school, referring to the U.S. president and L. Paul Bremer III, the former U.S. civilian administrator of Iraq. "The leaders of the party have integrity. But the local people just aren't qualified."

Ideology is all well and good, but someone's gotta make the trains run on time.

Posted by Orrin Judd at January 25, 2005 6:49 AM