Iraqiya List is a thing of the past

A leading figure in Iraq’s State of Law coalition has launched a scathing attack on the country’s Iraqiya List, accusing it of miring the national political scene in sectarianism, division and corruption. Ali al-Shelaah, who serves in Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s political party, told Arabstoday in an exclusive interview that internal divisions had driven the party into crisis. “The so-called Iraqiya List is history,” al-Shelaah said. “You have leader Iad Allawi on one side, Saleh al-Mutlaq on another and then Nujaifi [Speaker of the House] and other hardliners on the next.” “Each one speaks for himself – the majority of government ministers don’t pay the three figures much attention.” “The idea of unity in the Iraqiya List is a joke,” al-Shelaah added. “The party’s divided into seven different groups and not even four politicians can agree on anything.” The State of Law politician said protesters’ condemnation of the party showed its standing in national politics. “Protesters insult them day and night and accuse them of treason,” he claimed. Al-Shelaah also accused Speaker of the House Osama al-Nujaifi of sectarianism, after the Iraqiya List figure made a speech in Samarra calling for Shiite shrines to be made Sunni. “Nujaifi is trying to return Iraq to the Ottoman era,” al-Shelaah said. “His statements reflect his sectarian stance.”