What are the major issues facing Iraqi leaders?
Security, public services and national reconciliation are still the major challenges. Iraq’s Shiites are estimated to make up about 60 percent of Iraq’s population of 29 million. Arab Sunnis and ethnic Kurds (also Sunni Muslims) each account for about 20 percent. While the larger Shiite parties have talked up national unity and de-emphasized the role of religion in the campaign, many Iraqis are still expected to vote along ethnic and sectarian lines. A sign of the sectarian divide: Hundreds of potential Sunni candidates were banned from running in the election because of their suspected ties to the Baath Party. Iraq’s Shiites are estimated to make up about 60 percent of Iraq’s population of 29 million. Arab Sunnis and ethnic Kurds (also Sunni Muslims) each account for about 20 percent. Provincial boundaries, distribution of wealth and resources, and of course, oil, are all critical issues, and all remain unresolved. The status of Kirkuk — the northern, oil-rich province, contested by I
