ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Firebrand Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Friday criticized the country’s political elite for not nominating a new prime minister to succeed outgoing Adil Abdul Mahdi and ordered his supporters to return to protests and sit-ins near the Green Zone in central Baghdad.
In a statement he published on social media, Sadr said politicians had “once again failed” to end a protracted process of electing a new head of government. This comes as a deadline by Iraqi President Barham Salih, who the constitution charges with officially nominating the prime minister, is about to expire on Sunday as top political forces have yet to agree on a candidate.
Abdul Mahdi stepped down in early December as security forces and Iranian-backed militia-led a brutal suppression campaign against protesters climaxed with several deaths. Since then, the violence has continued, reportedly leading to at least 500 deaths among anti-government demonstrators with unofficial reports indicating the number is as high as 600.
The two leading political factions in the national parliament, one headed by Sadr’s Sairoon coalition and the other by the Tehran-aligned militia commander and politician Hadi al-Amiri, have been at odds over who would lead the next administration.
The issue appeared to be nearing a conclusion after Sadr held council with the chiefs of several militia groups backed by Iran that he has previously been at odds with and announced he was withdrawing support he had previously expressed for young anti-government protesters in October.
Read More: Sadr says he will now remain neutral in Iraqi protests
The meeting took place in Iran and came amid ongoing US–Iran tensions playing out on the ground in Iraq. He had also called for a “million-man march” against the presence of American troops from Iraqi territory after a US drone strike killed top Iranian general Qasim Soleimani and senior Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi Muhandis.
Immediately following Sadr’s withdrawal, the security forces deployed to the streets of major demonstration cities—Baghdad, Nasiriyah, Basra, and others—to disperse protesters, setting ablaze tents they had been residing in.
Read More: More Iraqi protesters dead as crackdown intensifies, Sadr withdraws support
Demonstrators condemned Sadr, many calling him an Iranian agent, among other militia commanders whom protesters see as acting on behalf of foreign interests instead of rebuilding a country wracked by decades of war, sectarian violence, and rampant institutional corruption.
Sadr, a populist leader known for dramatic and unexpected political statements, again pivoted his position, accusing “some” politicians of “delaying the realization of the protesters’ rightful demands.” He appeared to parrot the rhetoric of the crowds filling Iraq’s streets, saying the movement is demanding the corrupt be brought to justice, the formation of an independent election commission, the passage of a new election law, and the formation of a new government.
“Therefore, I find it in the interest to renew the peaceful reform revolution through… a mass peaceful demonstration in the capital,” he continued, “to pressure politicians to form the government according to the aspirations of the Marja’ and the people, and to prepare for mass peaceful sit-ins near the Green Zone.”
The Marja’ refers to the supreme Shia authority in Iraq, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who has often found it necessary in recent months to have statements delivered on his behalf regarding the current political situation by his representative during Friday sermons in Najaf, a city considered holy by Shia Muslims.
Sadr also threatened to take “other popular escalatory steps” in case the current political gridlock continues.
Content retrieved from: https://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/e1aefc03-766d-4b13-8e77-352dd6ab1150.