Fr Emanuel Youkhana In the aftermath of Iraq’s elections, Christians want to see a government formed that is free from the sectarianism that has torn apart the country, and they want Iran’s influence to diminish. Both issues have played a huge role in politics since the 2003 US-led invasion.
Fr Emanuel Youkhana, a priest of the Assyrian Church of the East, said that fiery Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has gained the majority of parliament’s seats. However al-Sadr’s uncompromising nationalism, stand against corruption and against foreign meddling seem to have struck a chord among ordinary Iraqis, who are fed up with what many call Baghdad’s broken political system.
“Iraq’s Shiite politicians, whose population forms the country’s majority, are of two streams: one pro-Iran and the other freer from Iranian influence, and Sadr is the leader of this latter group,” the priest explained.
“Al-Sadr has called for a cabinet of technocrats, not politicians. So far, he is more acceptable with the public because of his slogans. But can he realise forming a coalition government? In Iraq, it’s very complicated,” Fr Youkhana said.
Fr Youkhana runs the Christian Aid Program Northern Iraq (CAPNI), for displaced Iraqis around the city of Dohuk, in addition to rebuilding homes and restoring livelihoods in several towns in the Ninevah Plain following its destruction by Islamic State since 2014.