BAGHDAD —
Iraqi firebrand cleric
Moqtada Al-Sadr’s movement on Saturday announced its
refusal to join a new government being formed by prime minister-designate
Mohammad Shia Al-Sudani.
اضافة اعلان
The announcement came two days after lawmakers
elected Abdul Latif Rashid as Iraq’s new president, and he swiftly named Sudani
as prime minister in a bid to end a year of political gridlock, since October
2021 elections.
“We stress our firm and clear refusal for any of our
affiliates to participate ... in this government formation,” Mohammed Saleh
Al-Iraqi, a close associate of Sadr, said in a statement posted on Twitter.
The 52-year-old Shiite former minister Sudani has
the backing of Sadr’s Iran-backed rivals, the Coordination Framework, which
controls 138 out of 329 seats in the Iraqi legislature.
In June, Sadr had ordered the 73 lawmakers in his
bloc to resign, leaving parliament in the hands of the Framework, which
includes representatives of the former paramilitary
Hashed Al-Shaabi.
In his statement Saturday, Iraqi charged that the
upcoming government has a “clear subordination to militias” and would “not meet
the people’s aspirations”.
The Sadrist official said the 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”.
“Anyone who joins their ministries does not
represent us, ... rather, we disavow them,” Iraqi said.
Snap elections were held last year following
nationwide protests that erupted in October 2019 to decry endemic corruption,
decaying infrastructure and the absence of services and jobs for youth.
The stakes are high for the next cabinet, with a
colossal $87 billion in revenues from oil exports locked up in the central
bank’s coffers.
The money can help rebuild infrastructure in the
war-ravaged country, but it can only be invested after lawmakers approve a
state budget presented by the government, once formed.
Sudani vowed on Thursday to push through “economic
reforms” that would revitalize Iraq’s industry, agriculture and private sector.
The prime minister-designate also promised to
provide young Iraqis “employment opportunities and housing”.
Sadr, who has the ability to mobilize tens of
thousands of his supporters with a single tweet, has repeatedly demanded early
elections, while the Coordination Framework wants a new government in place
before any polls are held.
Tensions between the two rival Shiite camps boiled
over on August 29 when more than 30 Sadr supporters were killed in clashes with
Iran-backed factions and the army in
Baghdad’s Green Zone, which houses
government buildings and diplomatic missions.
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