Backed by a huge popular base, al-Halboosi rules al-Anbar

Shafaq News / After a series of meetings with senior tribal dignitaries and a tour in a group of projects, the speaker of the Iraqi parliament, Mohammed al-Halboosi, concluded his visit to al-Anbar, his hometown and the stronghold of his part, Takaddom (Progress).

Al-Halboosi's visit to al-Anbar lasted for a week. It was aimed at "identifying the demands and needs of the governorate" through meetings with the major cities' dignitaries, the local government, and several parliamentarians representing the governorate.

Shafaq News agency's correspondents followed al-Halboosi's meetings with the residents of al-Anbar, which focused mainly on the compensation file, the forcibly disappeared persons, the displaced families, and the electricity.

Boosting his popular base

According to several citizens and political observers, al-Halboosi's visits were intended to strengthen his relationship with his vast mass base in al-Anbar, particularly following attempts by the Coordination Framework forces to gain the Sheikhs and dignitaries of the governorate by their side.

"Al-Halboosi's visit was to communicate with the al-Bu Alwan tribe, one of his most important mass bases that brought him to power. He needs them as much as we need him," said Sheikh Hameed Ahmed al-Alwani, who hosted al-Halboosi in Fallujah district.

"The visit also aimed to communicate, bridge the gap, put an end to the growing strife in al-Anbar, unite the governorate's tribes, achieve security, and resume reconstruction projects," al-Alwani told Shafaq News Agency.

The Coordination Framework's attempts

"Al-Anbar is witnessing a continuous political momentum to protect their interests on the one hand, cope with the constantly changing formula of the government formation on the other," said Iraqi politician Younis al-Jawa'ani.

"The contention now revolves around a potential move of Sunni lawmakers from one bloc to another, which may have the lion's share of the next ministerial positions. Things have changed since the withdrawal of the Sadrist bloc from parliament," he added.

"The foundation of Sunni alliances has become looser. The politicians in al-Anbar are sparing no effort to persuade the tribes, who represent the cornerstone of political movement here."

"From my point of view, it is not unlikely that a party might involve the tribal mobilization, or even the public, to oust the rivals," he concluded.

The Sunnis' leader

Al-Halboosi is working to achieve two main goals, said Ziad al-Arar, an Iraqi political researcher. The first is leading the parliament, because when he gets to work within the constitutional framework, all his meetings will enjoy a full official status.

"Al-Halboosi's second aim is leading the Sunni community and winning the largest number of seats inside the parliament... his visits to the governorate and meetings with tribal dignitaries are among his duties as leader of al-Anbar and the Sunni community in general," al-Arar told Shafaq News agency.

"The parliament's speaker's visits to al-Anbar also aim to restore confidence, restore control over the situation in the governorate, and maintain patent channel with the base that made him a parliament speaker, and win 41 seats, thanks to its support," he said.

"It is unfair to say that his visit is an effort to halt the Coordination Framework or certain Shiite parties from reaching out to his base, while it can be a procedural duty toward his people, " al-Arar said, "these visits may be an early preparation for the possibility of new elections. "