Maliki's State of Law bloc to pay for campaign with member donations

The State of Law coalition, which is led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his Da'awa Party is soliciting donations from members to finance the bloc's electoral campaign, Aswat al-Iraq reports. An official with the State of Law coalition said donation would be collected at a designated account with the Iraqi Rafidain Bank.

This is the first time a major political bloc solicits donations from its members with the declared aim of making these donations the primary source of campaign money.

If successful, this initiative could significantly boost the image of the coalition and give it an advantage over rivals whose campaign finances remain much more obscure.