The Alliance Towards Reforms or Marching Towards Reform (Arabic: تحالف سائرون للإصلاح), also known by its Arabic short form Saairun (Arabic: سائرون, Saairun, lit. 'Forward'[11]), was an Iraqi electoral coalition formed to gain political control in the 2018 general election. The main components were the Shi’a Islamist Sadrist Integrity Party, the leftist Iraqi Communist Party,[12] the Youth Movement for Change Party, the Party of Progress and Reform and the Iraqi Republican Group and the State of Justice Party.[13][14] The alliance won 54 seats, more than any other coalition in the election.
Alliance Towards Reforms تحالف سائرون للإصلاح | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Leader | Hassan al-Aquli[1][2][3] (Political leader) Muqtada al-Sadr (Spiritual leader) |
| Founded | 25 January 2018[4] |
| Dissolved | 24 July 2021[5] |
| Ideology | Iraqi nationalism[6] Anti-corruption[6] Catch-all[7] Factions: Social democracy[8] Syncretic politics[9] Shi'a political thought[10] Communism |
| Political position | Big tent |
| Colors | Dark cyan Turquoise |
| Council of Representatives | 0 / 329 |
| Seats in the Governorate Councils | 0 / 440 |
| Governors | 0 / 18 |
In the previous election, the Sadrists (a Shia movement emerging in the 1990s to oppose President Saddam Hussein) had run as the Al-Ahrar Bloc and won 34 seats.[15] They initially supported the al Abadi government, with Baha al-Araji serving as one of the Deputy Prime Ministers.[16] However, they later withdrew this stance, organizing protests against government corruption and sectarianism. On 30 April 2016, supporters of the Alliance Towards Reforms occupied the Council of Representatives in protest.[17]
The coalition effectively ended when the Iraqi Communist Party decided to boycott the 2021 general election.[5]
Opposition
During a visit to Iran three months before the election, senior Iranian politician Ali Akbar Velayati declared: "We will not allow liberals and communists to govern Iraq," in reference to the Alliance. This comment was criticized by Iraqi secular MP's as interference in the internal affairs of Iraq.[18]
2018 elections
The 2018 elections saw significant gains for the Alliance Towards Reforms. They won 17 seats in Baghdad, 6 seats in Dhi Qar, 5 in Maysan and Basra, 4 in Najaf and Babil, 3 in Karbala, Qadissiya and Wasit, and 2 seats in Muthanna and Diyala.[19] A communist woman representing the Alliance, Suhad al-Khateeb, was elected in the 2018 elections to represent the city of Najaf which was deemed to be one of the most religious and conservative cities in Iraq. Khateeb, who is a teacher and an anti-poverty and women's rights activist, said upon her victory: "We, the Communist party, have a long history of honesty - we were not agents for foreign occupations. We want social justice, citizenship, and are against sectarianism. This is also what Iraqis want."[20]
Election results
| Election year | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 1,500,862 | (#1) | 54 / 329 |  54 | Coalition Partner |