Yury TYSSOVSKI Political analyst, journalist The January 30,2005 Iraqi parliamentary elections have become a sort of historical pass of the crest with something unknown looming there in front. It is predicted that by October 15 this year the transitional National Assembly will work out a draft Iraq's Constitution, and provided it is approved at a referendum, it is to become the basis of elections of the constant National Assembly not later than December 15, 2005. The biggest vote at the elections, 146 mandates was for the predominantly Shia United Iraqi Alliance. The General Iraqi list, Kurdish in essence, was given 77 seats in Parliament, and the "mundane" Iraqi list headed by the Washington favourite, temporary Prime-Minister Iyad Alawi, got 40 mandates. стр. 117 The Shia and Kurds now control 81% of seats in Iraqi Parliament. The first speaker of the National Assembly, which is mainly a ceremonial post, not giving its owner much political clout, became a Sunni Hajim al-Hasani. Kurd Jalal Talabani, the leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) was elected Iraqi Head of State, and elected Vice-Presidents were Shia Adel Abdel Mahdi and Sunni Gazi Ajil as-Yaver. These "three" who form the Presidential Council, appointed Shia Ibrahim al-Jaafari Prime Minister. Al-Jaafari is the leader of the influential party "Hizb ad-Daava al-Islamia" ("The Party of Islamic Call"). Besides, local authorities were elected in each of the 18 provinces of that country, and in North Iraq (Iraqi Kurdistan)), which for the last 14 years have actually been autonomous territory independent of Baghdad, now elected its regional parliament. Overt and Covert Threats The results of Iraqi elections gave rise to new complicated problems that appear hard to solve. The Shia victory has aggravated the already tense domestic political situation. The humiliated Sunni leadership is now faced with a dilemma of either accepting the invitation to participate in the preparation of the draft ... Читать далее