Iraqi Sadrist movement says it firmly refuses to join new government

Iraq’s Sadrist movement has announced its refusal to participate in a new government being formed by prime minister-designate Mohammad Shia al-Sudani.

Mohammed Saleh al-Iraqi, a close associate of influential Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, said in a statement posted on Twitter that it firmly opposed the participation of anyone affiliated with the Sadrist movement in the new government.

“We stress our firm and clear refusal for any of our affiliates to participate... in this government formation,” Iraqi said.

He added that the Sadrist movement refused to take part in any government led by Sudani “or any other candidate from among the old faces or those affiliated with the corrupt.”

This came two days after Iraqi lawmakers elected Abdul Latif Rashid as the Arab country’s new president, who immediately named Sudani as prime minister, breaking a months-long political deadlock and paving the way for the formation of a new government.

At least 269 of the 329 legislators, more than the necessary two-thirds of the house, attended the voting session on Thursday afternoon to elect a new president for the mostly ceremonial post.

Rashid, who won more than 160 votes against 99 for the incumbent Barham Salih, immediately named Sudani prime minister-designate to replace the current caretaker premier, Mustafa al-Kadhimi. Sudani, 52, is a former minister from the Coordination Framework.

Iraqi parliament elects Abdul Latif Rashid as new president who names Sudani as PM-designate

The Iraqi parliament has elected Abdul Latif Rashid as the new president who immediately named the PM-designate.

Under a power-sharing system designed to avoid sectarian conflict, the president must be of Kurdish origin, the prime minister a Shia Muslim and the speaker of the parliament a Sunni Muslim.

The Iraqi parliament had already made three failed attempts this year, from February 7 to March 30, to pick a new head of state for the crisis-hit Arab country.

In his Saturday statement, Iraqi claimed that the upcoming government has a “clear subordination to militias” and would not meet the Iraqi people’s aspirations.

“Anyone who joins their ministries does not represent us... rather, we disavow them,” Iraqi added.

Iraq witnessed months of political deadlock after Sadr’s bloc emerged from last October elections as the biggest parliamentary faction, but was still far short of a majority, causing the longest political vacuum in the country since the 2003 devastating invasion of the Arab country led by the United States.

In June, all 73 legislators of the bloc quit their seats in a move seen as an attempt to pressure political rivals into fast-tracking the formation of a government.

Iraqi supporters of the Shia cleric stormed the government palace inside the Green Zone in August after their leader announced his resignation from politics.

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