A look at some of the factions in Iraq’s election

A look at some of the factions in Iraq’s election

A look at some of the major Shiite-led factions and coalitions taking part in Iraq’s election:

— Iraqi National Alliance: A broad religious Shiite coalition led by the Iranian-backed Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, also known as SIIC, and backed by followers of radical anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and the religious group Fadhila. SIIC suffered an embarrassing setback during the 2009 provincial elections over a public backlash against openly religious Shiite parties and poor performances by SIIC-supported officials. SIIC has been among the strongest supporters of purging Saddam Hussein loyalists from the government, armed services and security agencies. Out of the three main Shiite-led alliances, the INA is the most closely aligned with Iran.

— State of Law Coalition: Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s Dawa Party is the backbone of a moderate coalition that includes smaller, independent groups of Shiites and Sunnis. The coalition did well during the 2009 provincial vote. But al-Maliki’s government is under pressure after being blamed for security lapses that allowed suicide truck bombers to strike in heavily guarded central Baghdad. Al-Maliki will be hard pressed to emulate his success in the provincial elections during the parliamentary vote now that his Shiite rivals have joined forces in a bid to win the prime minister’s job. Al-Maliki is thought to maintain friendly relations with Iran, but he publicly distances himself from it.

— Iraqiya: Led by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, a Shiite, and prominent Sunni politician Saleh al-Mutlaq. The coalition, billed as secular, is backed by Shiites and Sunnis as well as former members of Saddam Hussein’s Sunni-led regime and its military. Allawi and al-Mutlaq are fierce critics of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and the government-backed committee charged with banning members of Saddam’s outlawed Baath Party. The committee has banned al-Mutlaq from the election for alleged ties to the regime; Allawi is a former Baathist who broke with the party in the 1970s. As Iraq’s first post-Saddam prime minister, Allawi earned the animosity of religious groups for backing U.S. offensives in Fallujah and against Muqtada al-Sadr.