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.
The candidate’s electoral triumph has dominated the local media for weeks and given residents a sense of empowerment in the face of mainstream political groups. Hundreds of his supporters rallied Saturday in Karbala’s ancient quarter to demand that he be named governor.
But that won’t happen.
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 council. The Associated Press
