BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq’s elections on Sunday come with enormous challenges: Iraq’s economy has been battered by years of conflict, endemic corruption and more recently, the coronavirus pandemic. Current Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has sought to portray Iraq as a neutral mediator in the region’s crises. That will require a lengthy process involving backroom negotiations to select a consensus prime minister and agree on a new coalition government. Randa Slim, of the Washington-based Middle East Institute, said Iraq’s regional mediation role is al-Kadhimi’s achievement, a result of his success at balancing between U.S. and Iranian interests in Iraq. “If he won’t be the next prime minister, all of these initiatives might not be sustained,” Slim said.
