By Fazil Mirani *
As the election season draws to a close and we await the resolution of appeals and ratification of results, the moment has arrived for elected officials to honor their campaign commitments to the Iraqi people. Iraq is a nation whose social fabric has been torn apart by decades of authoritarian rule, diverting entire generations from prosperity and stalling national progress.
Despite Iraq’s relatively young democracy, all Iraqis bear responsibility for their nation’s future. This demands honest introspection, both individually and collectively, to build a unified national movement—political and social—that will secure a better life and protect the fundamental pillars of citizenship and nationhood. With mounting internal and external threats, compounded by exclusionary policies and the dangers of continued fragmentation, we urgently need a national conference where Iraqi leaders can take a principled stand for their people, their heritage, and their future. Such a conference must be preceded by efforts to resolve internal disputes within the political blocs representing all Iraqi components: Sunni, Shia, and Kurdish.
Our challenges begin with how we understand and implement the constitution we collectively drafted and ratified. Had we followed it with the courage and awareness it demands, our internal situation would not have deteriorated, nor would we have suffered regional setbacks and marginalization. The failure to address problems head-on, the habit of postponement, the distortion of facts, the abuse of authority at every level of political and social life, and the rise of sectarian discord have all deepened public disillusionment and eroded trust in most political forces. We must therefore return to the neglected foundation upon which this mountain of problems has been built—the Constitution itself, which can guide us toward the right path if we honor its provisions, or lead us astray if we ignore them.
Iraq—the cradle of civilization, birthplace of prophets, resting place of the righteous, pioneer of writing and law, and witness to peaceful coexistence—does not deserve to have its reputation damaged and its stature diminished by the actions of some of its own people. History has recorded the integrity, honesty, and truthfulness of Iraqis, documenting their generosity, compassion, and nobility. They have been defenders of the oppressed and opponents of injustice. Corruption was never widespread among them, nor were they known for accepting subjugation and humiliation. Instead, they have always been quick to uproot falsehood, practicing tolerance and integrity with the certainty that divine justice overlooks nothing.
The time has come for national forces to play a decisive role in restoring nearly vanished public trust. This requires entrusting work to qualified individuals through clean governance, honest communication, and faithful commitment to promises made.
The time has come to prove that we possess the intellectual breadth and will to understand and foster mutual understanding. Our country has chosen its identity, and its reality must match its definition: a federal democratic republic. This designation is not subject to interpretation—it is clear and explicit. Iraq, with its Arabs, Kurds, Turkmen, Chaldeans, Assyrians, Mandaeans, and all its intellectual and ideological movements operating in the open, and all its peoples, deserves a safe and stable existence. Its foundation must be a just, capable, conscious, and strong government, free from corruption, interference, shadow networks, and deep state machinations.
Reconciliation, transparency, forgiveness, national identity, full sovereignty, social cohesion, and an unblemished reputation—these are the fruits we will harvest if we respect our constitution and fulfill our promises under the banner of an inclusive, non-discriminatory national identity.
Continuing with fragmentation, antagonism, and the pursuit of narrow interests at others’ expense is nothing more than a distortion and fleeting illusion, the guilt of which will never leave our conscience. Our country deserves our best efforts, and we are indebted to its people. We all share a duty to protect our common project of loyalty to Iraq and its citizens—a loyalty that is authentic, constitutional, legal, civic, political, judicial, parliamentary, and administrative.
Let us not be among those who have received God’s blessings yet failed to show gratitude for His favor.
* The author is the Head of the Executive Committee of the Political Bureau of the Kurdistan Democratic Party