The Iraqi people go to the polls this weekend in the country’s first “free and fair” election in decades.

Much has been made of the fact that most candidates standing in the election have not been able to campaign through fear of assassination and intimidation. Most Iraqi voters have no idea who they are voting for.

Which follows that, on Monday morning, the Iraqi people will have no idea who is forming their elected government. Quite clearly these people aren’t going to pop up first thing next week and introduced themselves as the duly elected member for Baghdad East. The insurgents are just going to say, “fair enough,you’ve survived this long so we’ll give you a fair shake”.

Which begs the question: Won’t these people in effect be a government in exile? Not able to show their faces on the streets or advertise the fact that they are members of the new administration, how will the Iraqi people be able to hold them directly to account? By sheer necessity the new government is going to have to operate behind closed door which has worrying implications for transparency and accountability.

Hang on, what am I talking about? Iyad Allawi, running a transparent and accountable government, with his reputation? What am I talking about?