The great German sociologist and political
economist Max Weber defined three types of legitimate authority: traditional,
charismatic, and legal-rational. Whether any form exists in its purest form is
questionable, as each of the types can rely on the other two for support and
further legitimisation.
Such types were identified by Weber at the turn of the
century, with the rapid changes that happened in the industrial and economic
spheres that impacted the political scene. Questions about authority,
legitimacy, and efficiency accompanied the developments that Europe was witnessing,
conciliating with them the forms of governments populating across the continent
and its vicinity.
In the 21 century, it is hard to believe that charismatic
rule – as a source of legitimate authority – is still considered a valid source. A sole valid source. Most leaders in the Middle East beg to differ.
One example is that of the Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr
who announced in July 2021 that he – in his persona - will boycott Iraq’s
parliamentary elections scheduled for October 2021. al-Sadr, who has millions of
followers, decided unilaterally to jeopardise the stability of an unstable
country by questioning the legitimacy of the future house and government.
The political stunt is not new: decrying corruption and boycotting
elections were meant to make political gains, and distract the public from
deeply rooted corruption that he himself has been involved in, whether directly
or indirectly through the political bloc - Sayroon coalition that holds 54 of
329 seats in the parliament (the largest bloc if I may add).
Whilst it is easy to deflect blame and warn Iraqis about “..being
hostage to injustice and tragedy...where Iraq’s fate may fall victim to local,
regional and international policies,”, rational observers can map the ineffective
and corrupt policies followed by the Sadrists themselves. A fire spread through
a coronavirus ward at a hospital in the southern town of Nasiriyah due to a
lack of safety measures, which resulted in about 100 deaths. Ibn al-Khatib
Hospital in Baghdad also witnessed a similar incident about two months
ago, resulting in more than 100 casualties. Ministries where Sadrists or their
allies hold power account for between one-third and one-half of Iraq’s USD 90
billion draft budget for 2021. Electricity shortages are common, whereas over the
last few weeks the southern provinces have witnessed up to 90% of electricity
shortages. Why did this resignation and indignation happen at the time? Who is
he blaming for the mismanagement? And how can a decision of boycotting an
election solve the problem?
Sentimentalism is a dangerous business, let alone if
politicised, and if politicised in a place like the Middle East. Many are the
region’s leaders who exploit their public appeal and charisma as a
fully-acceptable source of legitimacy and power. In this specific case, al-Sadr
was a young cleric in his late 20s after the country was invaded by the U.S. in 2003. He
inherited his father’s reputation and made it a point to live up to the
charisma his father enjoyed – a routinisation of charismatic authority into a traditional
one. Instead of translating this
charisma and popular acceptance into a political movement that is truly responsible
before the people, that is efficient enough to rebuild the country, the
ambitions fell short of becoming a popularity contest among an ethnically and religiously
divided country.
The early elections called by Prime Minister
Mustafa al-Kadhimi were one of the main demands of the anti-government protest
movement that swept Iraq in October 2019. Adel Abdul Mahdi, the former Premier,
resigned under pressure from tens of thousands of protesters fed up with
the political establishment and Iranian influence in Iraq’s government. These
elections were a chance to form a democratically elected government that responded
to demands. al-Sadr decided otherwise, and made a dramatic theatrical statement
that encouraged hundreds of Sadrists to gather in various cities in
southern Iraq and burn their electoral cards.
There is a chance the elections could be postponed if al-Sadr
does not participate, due to the small number of participants and the potential
boycotting of political movements affiliated with the protesters. What
that means and what it would achieve is not clear - but at least some will sleep in a dark dark
night, dreaming about dreamy al-Sadr.
