Iraqi tribal feud contained after youth filmed kissing candidate’s photo

Najaf (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi tribes in the province of Najaf have averted a feud after a young man was filed indecently handling a photo of a candidate from the opposite clan.

Al-Bouzeib clan imposed a fine of 100 million Iraqi dinars (nearly USD84.000) on Magatim tribe after a member of the latter was shown in a video clip passionately kissing the campaigning poster of a female candidate from the first tribe and praising her looks.

The video was circulated by Iraqi social media users.

The outrage prompted Magatim tribe to issue an apology on Friday, with both clans denouncing the young man’s behaviour and agreeing on the fine.

Iraqi parliamentary and local elections are slated for 12th May, the first since Islamic State militants took over large areas of the country in 2014. Election campaigning period was declared last Friday.

News reports have recently told of defamation campaigns between various political groups vying for parliament seats, with scandalous, unverified, videos shared allegedly showing female runners, some of whom belong to the electoral list led by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.