Iran’s intervention in the forming of Iraq’s government is a recipe for unrest

Baghdad now has much in common with Beirut – politicians are simply ignoring the demands of protesters, writes Ahmed Aboudouh

Followers of Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr gather in Baghdad (AP)

The process to choose Iraq's new prime minister Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi, who won the nomination by a nose, was selected using the same playbook the Lebanese Iran-backed Hezbollah has followed in setting up the new government in Beirut.

The Lebanese cabinet was formed last month, despite all the public objections. Protesters filled Beirut streets hoping for change, and their demands were sidelined. They asked for a breakaway from sectarian quotas in the country's political system. They also demanded a cabinet of technocrats. However, the outcome reflected the stark difference between the protesters' aspirations and the reality. Hassan Diab, who served as education minister in a previous Hezbollah-backed cabinet, was named new prime minister. And while a government of technocrats is what has been unveiled, the members are widely seen as beholden to Hezbollah – itself backed by Iran – and its Shia and Christian allied movements. For Tehran, stripping the uprising of its momentum was important.

Things don’t look any better in Iraq, despite the deaths of more than 600 protesters and the wounding of 20,000 others since October. They are calling for a secular government, free of Iran’s influence, and an end to corruption. Their demands were met with live ammunition and repression from the security forces and militias aligned with Tehran. They seem able to take it all, but what they can’t endure is yet another government that just repeats history. They are also losing any trust in Muqtada al-Sadr, one of the most powerful clerics in the country.