--- title: Iraq's Parliament Elections: Fragile Democracy | TIME description: In the first in a video series about Iraq and the U.S. military's withdrawal of forces, TIME looks at the potential effects of Iraq's second parliamentary elections canonical: https://time.com/video/oEbgYrPO/ og:title: Iraq's Parliament Elections: Fragile Democracy og:description: In the first in a video series about Iraq and the U.S. military's withdrawal of forces, TIME looks at the potential effects of Iraq's second parliamentary elections og:url: https://time.com/video/oEbgYrPO/ og:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/oEbgYrPO/poster.jpg?width=720 og:type: video.other twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Iraq's Parliament Elections: Fragile Democracy twitter:description: In the first in a video series about Iraq and the U.S. military's withdrawal of forces, TIME looks at the potential effects of Iraq's second parliamentary elections twitter:image: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/oEbgYrPO/poster.jpg?width=720 --- # Iraq's Parliament Elections: Fragile Democracy > Sponsored content. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. ## Video: Iraq's Parliament Elections: Fragile Democracy [Watch (HLS stream): Iraq's Parliament Elections: Fragile Democracy](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/oEbgYrPO.m3u8) (4:57)  _Published 2010-03-09. In the first in a video series about Iraq and the U.S. military's withdrawal of forces, TIME looks at the potential effects of Iraq's second parliamentary elections_ --- Jul 27, 2023 1:20 PM UTC --- ## More From This Series [All Videos](https://time.com/video/) [Iraq's Parliament Calls for Expulsion of U.S. Troops](/video/SRHTg0TF/) ### Iraq's Parliament Calls for Expulsion of U.S. Troops [Are Iraq's Security Forces Ready for the Job?](/video/LURCEndy/) ### Are Iraq's Security Forces Ready for the Job? [Iraq's Parliamentary Elections: Fragile Democracy](/video/dkIHrE6S/) ### Iraq's Parliamentary Elections: Fragile Democracy --- ## Transcript >> This is Time Magazine's Bobby Ghosh. As Time's correspondent in Iraq from 2003 through 2007, I saw the country evolve from a dictatorship to a nation on the brink of a civil war and finally into a democracy, though a fragile and imperfect one to be sure but a democracy nonetheless. Now, in time for the second parliamentary election and the seventh anniversary of the US- led invasion, I talked to a number of Iraq experts about the country's progresses and what role the United States will continue to play as its military withdraws from Iraq. >> We certainly did pass through a very, very turbulent and violent times. Now, the situation is improved considerably. >> All the basic questions that plagued Iraq before the surge are still there. How do you share oil revenue? What's the relationship between major groups? Will Iraq have a strong central government or be a loose confederation? What's the disposition of the disputed city of Kirkuk? >> I worry that Iraq could slide back in the civil war very easily. What stopped the civil war of 2006 and 7? The surge. Americans aren't gonna do it this time so I think you want to be careful about leaving. >> This month, Time is looking at how far the country has come. Its security forces, its legal system, its politics and its reconstruction. This is a scene in Baghdad from June 30th 2009. The Iraqis were celebrating the implementation of SOFA, the Status of Forces Agreement between their government and the United States. This agreement states that the US shall pull out all its troops by 2011 but while the mood was joyous, many Iraqis knew even then that they had a long road ahead of them. The outcome of the country's elections this month will be another step in determining what form the country will take. Early signs indicate that it will be a tight race and possibly a bloody one. >> There has been kind of a ratcheting up of violence and some high- profile bombings but to me, the real question is what happens after the elections. Are they perceived as free and fair? Will they allow a broadening of a national consensus to include some of the groups that were excluded in the last elections. >> Hundreds of candidates are standing for elections but the key players are familiar. There is Prime Minister Nouri Al- Maliki, former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, several different Shiite and Suni parties, Kurdish parties from the north and new and uncertain coalitions between them. The most likely outcome is a broad coalition of parties, secular parties, sectarian parties representing the different ethnic groups, in fact, a government not unlike the one currently ruling in Baghdad. But in the end, who wins how many seats in the election will matter less than what kind of compromise and what kind of negotiations take place between them after the vote. >> The election just provides candidates for the parliament then there's a very lengthy process that Iraq will undergo of trying to figure out which coalitions can form a government that will be very messy. It will probably take a very long time but when that dust settles, we'll have a better sense of whether the main political leaders are committed to working within the political system. >> Whatever government emerges, one thing is clear, Iraq will continue to need US support in one fashion or another for a long time to come. >> Just because people hold up purple fingers does not mean the election is a success. Americans tend to equate elections with democracy. Elections are actually a consequence of democracy, but one of many, so is the rule of law, equal justice under the law. >> Stability, it's very much in the interest of the United States and certainly in our interest that we protect this fledgling democracy against interference, and stand after that interference mutually. This is what will determine what kind of Iraq will emerge as a result of this. Is it an Iraq that will be a big credit for the United States, an Iraq that will justify all the sacrifices made by Americans in blood and treasure and all the sacrifices made by Iraqis. Or, is it a failed country that will cause more hurt in the years to come? 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