Iraqi Communists heavily campaign for Jan. 30 elections

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

Sunday, January 9, 2005

By RAWYA RAGEH
Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Two of its most prominent members were gunned down recently, but that didn't stop the Iraq's Communist Party from holding a campaign rally in downtown Baghdad, with supporters waving red flags and shouting leftist slogans. Few other parties have dared to do the same, but then Iraq's Communists are a stubborn bunch. And although they are not expected to win many seats in the country's Jan. 30 elections, their insistence on a strong voice in Iraqi politics could still pay off.

The party's main tenet is the separation of state and religion, which makes them unique in Iraq's political landscape. They could play an important role by striking a balance between the Shiite parties expected to dominate and their Sunni rivals in the new national assembly, which will help put together a new constitution.
"It is hard to think that we could be a majority," said Shakir al-Dujaily, a senior party member. "What we are after is being part of this interim body and relaying our ideas that shouldn't be absent from drafting the constitution."

In some ways, Iraq's Communists mimic the stereotypical Soviet-style image. Campaign posters reflect the "red" effect: the cog, the hands of the workers and the peasants, the motto "Peace, Democracy, National Brotherhood" -- not to mention the fluttering red flags at the December rally held in a central Baghdad stadium.

Yet they've come up with their own brand of Marxism. They have long cooperated with other moderate movements, including the two main Kurdish political parties and Islamic groups like al-Dawa and the Iranian-backed Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq.

And they acknowledge that religion will inevitably play a role. In a nation where religion is dominated by conservatives, the party has shunned the image of a "Godless" grouping and stressed its respect for Iraq's Islamic and Arab heritage.

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