KARBALA, Iraq — Iraqis seeking to punish religious parties for bad governance gave a veteran administrator the most votes in a January election in Karbala province.
But Youssef al- Haboubi won’t become governor because of a political maneuver that shows power and money, rather than popular will, carry the day in Iraqi politics.
Al-Haboubi’s impressive finish in Jan. 31 provincial elections has been noticed across Iraq, but especially in his native Karbala, a Shiite city 50 miles south of Baghdad.
However, al-Haboubi ran as a single candidate rather than on a party ticket with multiple candidates. Under election rules that favor the big, established parties, al-Haboubi will claim only one seat on the 27-member provincial council. The Associated Press
