Official Website of Ahrar Party

Iyad Allawi's decision to suspend his coalitions campaign is 'against the interest of the Iraqi people'

Former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi today announced that his coalition, The Iraqi National Alliance, would be suspending their campaign in response to the barring of a number of their candidates, including Sunni lawmaker Saleh al-Mutlaq.

The full implications of this remain unclear but Ahrar party leader, Ayad Jamal Aldin, believes the choice is clear for all Iraqis. "We either stand up for our democracy on 7 March, or we give in to the sectarian forces that will continue to try to divide us."

Mr. Aldin, who used to be a member of Iyad Allawi's party, believes Allawi has made the wrong decision to suspend his campaign. "The answer to a government that is over-run by outside interference and corruption is not to give in to them, it is to offer the people a real chance of change and beat the government at the ballot box. This is this principle that Ahrar was founded on."

"Iraqis are tired of the conspiracies, fighting and incompetence. They want radical change and a leader strong enough to unite our country and to tackle the huge challenges we face: to bring real security to our families, public services for our citizens and jobs for our young people."

The forthcoming election on 7 March could not be more decisive for the future of Iraq. Ahrar has launched a multi-million dollar advertising campaign to contest them.