Hard TV sell for Iraqi electorate

By Sebastian Usher
BBC world media correspondent

A number of government films have been calling on people to vote

Iraqi TV screens have been packed to the brim with party political broadcasts in the run-up to Thursday's parliamentary election.

Some are slick, some amateurish, and many are being shown on other Arab TV stations across the Middle East, too.

Iraqi newspapers are also full of advertisements for political parties, while the streets are lined with posters.

But whether the election campaigns will actually have much effect on the vote is open to question, as many Iraqis are likely to make their choice along sectarian lines.

Ready to vote

A string of well-produced films have been shown calling on people to vote.

One man frees himself from a shackle labelled: "Terrorism"

In one, a man chained against a wall in prison is shown breaking the shackles on his feet - one labelled "terrorism", the other "foreign interference".

He moves out into the sunshine - a free man ready to vote.

Another election ad shows Iraqis boarding a bus. The voiceover describes how they are continuing their journey towards democracy.

Outside, groups of Iraqis march purposefully towards a polling station. One woman in a black abaya holding her finger dipped in purple ink proudly aloft - proof that she has voted.

The election battle in the Iraqi media certainly gives a strong sense of vibrancy... but how much substance it actually has is questioned by many in Iraq Election guide

Some of these broadcasts are produced by a group called futureiraq.org, which is believed to have US funding.

Others are sponsored by a group of Iraqi women activists, called the Iraq Pledge Coalition, led by Rand Rahim Francke, a former Iraqi ambassador to Washington.

There are also government-sponsored films explaining the nitty-gritty of how to vote, showing polling stations and ballot papers.

The message is very much a nationalist one - that Iraqis must vote in order to show their patriotism. The new Iraqi anthem is played over many of the ads.

Free airtime

The airwaves on Iraqi TV and radio are also open in an unprecedented way to political parties, with the main channels providing free airtime for party political broadcasts.

The candle is a symbol of the United Iraqi Alliance

One of these, by the dominant Shia group, the United Iraqi Alliance, is a well-made film showing a young woman in a hijab speaking by candlelight.

Images of violence and destruction are shown as she softly declares that the United Iraqi Alliance will never allow the Baathists back in power.

The United Iraqi Alliance also makes much of its electoral number, 555, saying that it has a special significance as there are many groups of five in Islam, including the five pillars of faith.

There has been controversy over how much religious influence is permissible in the election campaign, as direct religious appeals for electoral purposes are banned.

Many of the parties... are even more threadbare, featuring their main candidate, sometimes stumbling over his words, in front of an Iraqi flag or a pot of flowers

Perhaps the slickest broadcasts are for Iyad Allawi, the country's first prime minister after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.

One features a series of Iraqis in artfully-shot black and white, declaring what they want - water, fuel, work, security and a government that will keep its promises.

The answer declaimed by a chorus of voices is one man - Iyad Allawi.

The former prime minister dominates election coverage on the private Iraqi station, al-Sharqiya, and on the international channel, al-Arabiya, while government ministers predominate on the state channel, al-Iraqiya.

This has led to some Iraqis complaining of bias.

Inequality

The leader of a new Sunni party, the Iraqi Front for National Dialogue led by Saleh al-Mutlak, has complained that parties like his have not been treated fairly.

Sunni parties have complained of bias towards the governing parties

His broadcasts, shot cheaply on video, certainly lack the polish of Mr Allawi's.

In one, he declares that his party will not allow religious groups to dominate Iraqi politics - a dig at the Shia parties.

Many of the parties that have taken advantage of the free airtime given by Iraqi TV stations are even more threadbare, featuring their main candidate, sometimes stumbling over his words, in front of an Iraqi flag or a pot of flowers.

After Iraq's first post-Saddam elections in January this year, the funding behind the most lavish electoral campaigns, including claims of covert or illegal funding of parties, was investigated.

The situation this time is even more opaque, with parties and politicians giving little away about their financial resources.

This has prompted claims of undue foreign influence, with the Americans, the Saudis and the Iranians all being accused of pouring money into their favoured campaigns.

Vibrant

Aside from the TV and radio campaigns, political parties have also plastered posters all over Iraq, many of which have been defaced.

Newspapers are jam-packed with election ads, while even mobile phones are not safe from election promises in text messages sent by various parties.

In comparison with the election in January, there is more clarity about which party is which, as well as the technicalities of the vote.

Many more candidates are on show in comparison to the previous election, when few wanted to show their faces for fear of attack.

This time, the election battle in the Iraqi media certainly gives a strong sense of vibrancy.

But how much substance it actually has is questioned by many in Iraq, who say it simply favours those who already have the money, the patronage and the power.