Iraq-politics.

Iraq's Islamic Supreme Council Elects Hakim's Son to Replace Deceased Leader

The Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI) elected on Tuesday Ammar al-Hakim, son of recently deceased leader Abdel Aziz al-Hakim, preventing a power tussle that may have harmed its image, the Beirut daily AN NAHAR reported Wednesday. Ammar al-Hakim has been groomed for some time to take over the ISCI from his father, who died last week while receiving cancer treatment in Tehran. Abdel Aziz al-Hakim had headed the ISCI since 2003, succeeding his brother, Mohammad Baker, who was slain in a bombing six years ago.

A statement by the Shura Central Council of the ISCI, the consultative council which chooses the group's leader, said it unanimously chose Ammar al-Hakim to head the ISCI. "The council would like to stress that it will proceed with the same course of faith in its religious authority and obedience to its directions, moderation, and putting the higher interests of Iraq above factional and personal ones." The death of Hakim Sr. generated confusion in the Iraqi political scene while alliances between Iraq's Shiites have undergone major transformations ahead of January 2010 elections, and when recent progress toward stability has been rocked by bomb attacks.

The newly elected Hakim, a cleric in his 30s, vowed to redeem past mistakes and renew one of the most prominent Shiite parties in the country. "We will work hard to improve the ISCI institution, benefit from past circumstances, and accurately diagnose mistakes. We will renew the ISCI in keeping with the principles of (Mohammad Baker al-Hakim), which (Abdel Aziz) Hakim followed," Ammar al-Hakim stated. He also called on Iraq's undecided political powers ahead of the elections to join "this big and diverse canvas in the Iraqi national coalition." He said, "I call for forming a wide national front that includes all national lists, blocs, and coalitions in the country." He stressed his keenness on "openness to the region, Arabs, and the world."

"Voting for Ammar al-Hakim is normal because of the symbolism of his family name and the sacrifices that the family made," said ISCI lawmaker Nabil Ismail. The swift confirmation by the council of ISCI leaders that Ammar al-Hakim would take over indicated the party had managed to avoid a power struggle, at least in public, that could have weakened it before the election. Some party insiders had said they opposed a dynastic succession while Ammar al-Hakim's youth--he was born in 1971--also raised questions about his support base.

ISCI has fought previous elections on an overtly religious, and sectarian, platform, using Shiite religious symbolism as a rallying call. Political analysts say that after years of bloodshed between Sunnis and Shiites, many voters have grown tired of appeals to faith, and instead want rulers who are pragmatic and effective. ISCI has formed a new, mostly Shiite alliance to compete in January's national polls without the smaller Dawa party of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, with whom it swept to power in 2005 as part of a broad Shiite coalition, raising questions about possible fractures among Shiites. (See MER 281812009) ARABS-IRAN