April 29, 2021
BAGHDAD The April 18 arrest of Jamal al-Karbouli, head of a prominent Sunni bloc in parliament, as part of the Iraqi government’s continuing attempts to crack down on corruption was unexpected and could influence the country’s Oct. 10 parliamentary elections.
Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi had pledged to fight Iraq’s dismal reputation for widespread corruption when he was sworn in on May 6, 2020. In August, he then issued an administrative order to form a committee linked directly to his office to investigate corruption cases.
Karbouli is head of the National Movement for Reform and Development (al-Hal) party and is from a family that has in recent decades played an influential role in the economic, media and political spheres. He trained as a medical doctor and has held several roles in the Iraqi Red Crescent Society, including as its president in 2003.
Anbar tribes key to security, political backing ahead of Iraq s October vote Following the introduction of a new electoral law and with many of the region’s population still looking more toward their tribes for protection than the central government, Iraq’s Sunni-dominant Anbar province is likely to be highly affected by tribal relations and figures in the October elections. Iraqis attend a conference gathering Shiite and Sunni tribal leaders and clerics on November 8, 2014, in the capital, Baghdad, to discuss support to Sunni tribes in their fight against the Islamist State (IS) in Anbar province, west of Baghdad. - AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images