Allawi Refuses to Repeat Scenario of 2010 Elections

Iraq's former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi speaks to reporters during a news conference in Baghdad March 20, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid Al Mousily/Files
Iraq's former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi speaks to reporters during a news conference in Baghdad March 20, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid Al Mousily/Files
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Allawi Refuses to Repeat Scenario of 2010 Elections

Iraq's former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi speaks to reporters during a news conference in Baghdad March 20, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid Al Mousily/Files
Iraq's former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi speaks to reporters during a news conference in Baghdad March 20, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid Al Mousily/Files

Iraqi political parties are engaging in talks over the upcoming local and general elections, which are scheduled to be held in mid-May.
 
As the majority of Shi'ite parties have voiced their rejection of any postponement, other political forces have preferred to delay the proposed date to resolve pending matters including the displaced and the reconstruction of governorates destroyed during the war against ISIS.
 
According to Ihsan Al-Shamri, who is close to the government, “one of the ruling political leaders called for the formation of an interim government in exchange for accepting the postponement of the elections.”
 
While he refused to reveal the name of that leader, Shamri stressed in a statement to Asharq Al-Awsat that Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi “is committed to holding the elections on time, despite pressure being exerted on him, because the delay would lead the country to a new cycle of problems.”
 
In parallel, Ayad Allawi, vice-president of the Iraqi National List, hinted at the possibility of postponing the elections in the absence of the adequate conditions.
 
“Whether the elections are postponed or not is up to the Parliament and the Cabinet, but we stress the need for the right atmosphere to conduct them,” he said during a ceremony organized by Al-Wefaq party on the occasion of the Iraqi Army Day.
 
Allawi went on to say that most of the elections that took place in the past “were not accurate or correct, and today there are serious problems plaguing Iraq; including the problem of the displaced and the crisis with Kurdistan, and all this needs to be resolved so we can hold the elections.”
 
A source close to Al-Wefaq revealed that Allawi was leading intensive negotiations with a wide spectrum of personalities and political parties. While the latter called for not repeating the experience of the 2010 elections with regards to foreign and regional interference, the source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Asharq Al-Awsat that Allawi did not want a scenario similar to the 2010 polls, especially in terms of his presidency of the “Iraqiya” alliance, which gathered the majority of leading Sunni figures.
 
The source explains that both Al-Wefaq and Allawi parties did not want to engage in a sectarian or national alliance that does not fulfill the aspirations of the Iraqi people.



Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
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Syrian Returns from Lebanon to Start under UN-backed Plan

FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Syrian refugee walks near tents, at an informal settlement, in Al-Marj, in Bekaa, Lebanon April 5, 2023. REUTERS/Emilie Madi/File Photo

Thousands of Syrian refugees are set to return from Lebanon this week under the first, UN-backed plan providing financial incentives, after Syria's new rulers said all citizens were welcome home despite deep war damage and security concerns.

Returning Syrians will be provided with $100 each in Lebanon and $400 per family upon arrival in Syria, Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed said. Transport is also covered and fees have been waived by border authorities, she said.

"I think it's a good and important start. We have discussed and are coordinating this with our Syrian counterparts and I think the numbers will increase in the coming weeks," Sayed told Reuters. A Syrian interior ministry spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

More than 6 million Syrians fled as refugees after conflict broke out in Syria in 2011, with most heading to Türkiye, Lebanon and Jordan. Lebanon has the highest concentration of refugees per capita in the world, hosting about 1.5 million Syrians among a population of about 4 million Lebanese.

Some 11,000 have registered to return from Lebanon in the first week, and the government targets between 200,000 and 400,000 returns this year under the plan, Sayed said.

The Lebanese government is focused on informal tented settlements in the country, where some 200,000 refugees live, she added, and may provide Syrian breadwinners who stay in Lebanon with work permits for sectors such as agriculture and construction if their families return to Syria.

UN agencies previously viewed Syria as unsafe for large-scale returns due to uncertainty over security and persecution by the government of Bashar al-Assad, who was toppled in December.

That has changed.

Since taking over, the new Syrian government has said all Syrians are welcome home. A UN survey from earlier this year showed nearly 30% of refugees living in Middle Eastern countries wanted to go back, up from 2% when Assad was in power.

"While the situation in Syria continues to rapidly evolve, (UN refugee agency) UNHCR considers the current context a positive opportunity for larger numbers of Syrian refugees to return home, or to begin considering return in a realistic and durable way," Ivo Freijsen, UNHCR Representative in Lebanon, told Reuters.

As of the end of June 2025, UNHCR estimated that over 628,000 Syrians had crossed back to Syria via neighboring countries since 8 December 2024, including 191,000 via Lebanon.