Shia Celebrate Historic Day

Basra resident Abdul-Hussein Ali was proud of the ink stains on his finger – a method of ensuring that citizens only vote once. So proud, in fact, that he planned to thrust it in the air in a victory sign after voting in favour of Iraq’s proposed constitution on October 15.

"The new constitution will mark a real beginning for post-Saddam Hussein Iraq. It will rescue Iraq from its current crisis," said Ali, a Shia who works in Basra’s port.

In Basra and Najaf, two Shia strongholds, voters largely supported the constitution. Farid Ayar, spokesman for the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq, said preliminary results showed 90 per cent of voters in Basra approved it, with 63 per cent of those eligible to vote turning out for the ballot. Figures were not available for Najaf.

On referendum day in Najaf, Shia clerics used loudspeakers from mosques to drum up support for the constitution.

On the street, people saw the charter as a form of empowerment for Shia following decades of oppression by the former Ba’athist regime. The constitution gives Shia, who comprise 60 per cent of the population, more political power and the chance to turn their regions into federal units.

Fatima Ali sat on the pavement, waiting for the polling station to be opened. Around her, groups of women and men queued to vote, carrying posters of their spiritual leader Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sisitani, who at the last minute endorsed the document. “Yes for the constitution!” they shouted.

Women prepared breakfast for electoral commission employees, and voters with disabilities queued in front of polling stations early in the morning.

In Babil province, home to the ancient city of Babylon, there were reports that 98 per cent of voters supported the constitution.

Qayis al-Hasnawi, a member of the electoral commission in Babil, said more than half of registered voters went to the polls in the largely Shia province.

In Babil’s capital, Hilla, the constitutional referendum was a time for celebration. Bands played music, cafes filled with patrons and children played in the streets.

No violence was reported in any of the provinces. Throughout Iraq, few vehicles were allowed on the roads as security forces sealed off cities for the poll. In Basra, children played football in the empty streets.

Voters in Basra queued in long lines at polling stations shortly after they opened at 7 am to cast their ballots. Basra has become a conservative city, devoid of the liquor stores, discos and nightclubs that existed here under Saddam Hussein’s predominantly secular regime.

In both Basra and Najaf, one of the holiest Shia cities and a centre of Shia political power, religious leaders played central roles in influencing voters. Sistani’s endorsement of the constitution helped boost Shia voter turnout, said Sheikh Mahdi al-Karbala'i, an assistant to Sistani.

The Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq and the Dawa Party, two Shia parties that hold significant power in the National Assembly, also tried to sway voters in heavily Shia areas.

“I voted ‘yes’ on the constitution in response to a call by the marja’ia [Sistani] in holy Najaf … despite my reservations on some provisions," said Ala Jamal, a student in Basra.

Preliminary results for the constitutional referendum indicated it won voter approval in all but two of Iraq’s 18 provinces. Official results are expected to be announced this week.

The constitution did not enjoy the support of many Sunni Arabs. In Basra, some said they feared it would enhance Iran’s influence over the southern Shia region.

Khalaf Umran, a social worker and resident of Al-Zubeir, Basra’s minority Sunni Arab neighbourhood, said, “The new constitution tries through federalism to incorporate a great part of Iraq, including oil-rich Basra, into Iran. [This will] ultimately fragment Iraq. I refuse such a constitution."

In Hilla, Nashmiya Ali voted with her grandsons. "I voted for the sake of country and Iraqis. God willing, I will participate in the coming elections," said Ali.

"My brother Hussein and I voted ‘yes’ for the constitution, hoping it will give us a better life when we are released," said Hasan Abbas, a prisoner in Hilla central prison. He voted on October 14 with 3,192 inmates, who have yet to be convicted.

"I asked my suitor and his family to go and vote,” said Zaineb Ali, a teacher. “My only marriage demand was they have ink on their fingers.”

Safa Mansoor, Haider al-Musawi and Daud Salman are IWPR trainee journalists.