By Anne-Laure Barbosa at Constellis Consulting Reporting remains almost completely interrupted in the provinces of Nineveh and Salahuddin, and the data available does not account for the large number of kidnappings and high levels of sectarian violence rumoured in territories held by ISIS. As the ISF continues its attempts at pushing north towards Tikrit from their […]
By Anne-Laure Barbosa at Constellis Consulting As ISIS consolidates its positions and increases its territorial control across the north and west of Iraq, its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi announced the creation of an ‘Islamic Caliphate’ on 29 June in areas overrun by insurgents. While largely symbolic, this announcement represents another blow to the central government, which […]
A spectacular ISIS offensive launched on 10 June across the North forced the ISF to retreat and regroup into the southern districts of Salahuddin. Most of Nineveh, including its capital Mosul, and the northern section of Salahuddin, encompassing Tikrit, are now under insurgent control. The number of reported fatalities, recorded at 387, while much higher […]
By Anne-Laure Barbosa at Constellis Consulting www.constellis-consulting.com Violent incidents sharply increased in their intensity over the reporting period with 453 fatalities recorded nationwide, doubling previous weekly figures. This significant uptick was prompted by a multi-front ISIS assault across the north, with militants attempting to seize cities in Salahuddin province, and succeeding in controlling parts of Mosul, Iraq’s […]
By Anne-Laure Barbosa at Constellis Consulting www.constellis-consulting.com Casualty figures released in June indicated that nearly 800 people were killed in violence across Iraq in May, making it the deadliest month so far this year. This uptick in violence moved in parallel with an increase of tensions in the political sphere, as divisive and opaque parliamentary negotiations confirm […]
By Constellis Consulting www.constellis-consulting.com Following preliminary electoral results confirming current Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki as the frontrunner, allegations of fraud multiplied over the reporting period, putting in jeopardy the process of quickly forming a government. On 22 May, former Prime Minister and leader of the Iraqiyya coalition Iyad Allawi publicly questioned the fairness of the elections, formulating […]
By Constellis Consulting www.constellis-consulting.com Initial election results released by the Independent High Electoral Commission on May 19 showed that Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki’s State of Law coalition won the largest share of seats, with at least 94 elected MPs in the 328-member parliament. Though previous estimates predicted that Maliki’s party would lead the polls, proportions exceeded expectations […]
By Constellis Consulting www.constellis-consulting.com With official results due in the next few days, electoral manoeuvres defined Iraq’s political environment this week, with party leaders seeking to form alliances and build coalitions to advance their own interests. Ultimately, the ability of political figures to navigate this system, more than the poll results, will determine the shape of Iraq’s […]
By Constellis Consulting www.constellis-consulting.com Despite persistent ISIS threats against the general elections held on 30 April, increased security precautions managed to contain some of the expected violence and encourage Iraqis to cast their ballots, with a relatively high turnout established at 59% by the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC). As a telling illustration of this enthusiastic political […]
By Constellis Consulting www.constellis-consulting.com As parliamentary elections approach and competing coalitions seek to position themselves ahead of the votes, the reporting period was marked by a series of movements in the political sphere. In Kurdistan, after months of unsuccessful negotiations, the KDP and Gorran reached an agreement for a new government along with the Islamic League, on […]
By Constellis Consulting www.constellis-consulting.com As the campaign for the upcoming parliamentary elections is set to start on April 01, Iraq’s political environment was marked by inter-party competition and developments which could threaten the organisation of the votes. On 25 March, the board of the Independent Electoral Commission (IHEC) resigned to protest against political and judicial interference, after the […]
By Constellis Consulting www.constellis-consulting.com The proximity of the general parliamentary elections was reflected in changing security dynamics and political movements across several leading parties. Though campaigning is only set to open on 01 April, legal disputes and vindictive declarations highlighted major divisions between the ruling coalition, Shia factions and Sunni opposition groups. Despite his recent withdrawal from […]
