Iraqi political leaders urge prominent Shiite cleric to rescind withdrawal from elections
BAGHDAD, July 16– Several Iraqi political leaders on Friday called on prominent Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr to reverse his decision to boycott the parliamentary elections slated for Oct. 10. Al-Sadr’s Sairoon Coalition became the largest group in the Iraqi parliament after the 2018 elections and is formed by lawmakers from central and southern Iraq.
BAGHDAD, July 16 (Xinhua) — Several Iraqi political leaders on Friday called on prominent Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr to reverse his decision to boycott the parliamentary elections slated for Oct. 10.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi tweeted a comment on al-Sadr’s decision, saying that “the country needs the solidarity of the people and the political parties to participate in the elections with the honest competition.”
For his part, Iraqi parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi in a tweet urged al-Sadr to help “bring the country to safety.”
Ammar al-Hakim, an Iraqi Shiite cleric and politician who leads al-Hikma Movement, also urged al-Sadr to rescind his withdrawal from the elections, stressing that “preserving democracy and not abandoning it is the only way to address the failures and bring justice to the people who are looking forward to achieving their rights.”
On Thursday, al-Sadr announced, in a televised speech, his withdrawal from the parliamentary elections due to rampant corruption and unfair competition among political parties.
Al-Sadr also withdrew his support from all his followers who are part of the current and the upcoming governments because they are “either losers or corrupts, and every one of them should be held accountable,” according to his speech.
Al-Sadr’s Sairoon Coalition became the largest group in the Iraqi parliament after the 2018 elections and is formed by lawmakers from central and southern Iraq.
Iraq is scheduled to hold early elections on Oct. 10, 2021, in response to the anti-government protests against corruption and lack of public services.
The previous parliamentary elections in Iraq were held on May 12, 2018, and the next elections were originally scheduled to take place in 2022. Enditem
