Amid the political deadlock witnessed by Iraq, the leader of the Sadrist Movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, announced today, Monday, his final retirement from political work in the country and the closure of all affiliated institutions.
Muqtada al-Sadr said - in a tweet on the social media platform "Twitter" reported by the Iraqi News Agency "INA" - "Although I had decided not to interfere in political affairs, I now announce the final retirement and the closure of all institutions, except for the holy shrine, the holy museum, and the Al-Sadr Family Heritage Authority."

Iraq is experiencing a political deadlock after ten months since the early legislative elections held last October, where the political process remains complicated, due to the failure to elect a new president for the country and form a new government.

The position of Prime Minister in Iraq traditionally goes to a Shiite personality selected by consensus among the dominant Shiite political forces, and the formation of a new government in Baghdad has stalled according to the election results announced on November 30, 2021, after the resignation of Sadrist Movement deputies (74 deputies) from the legislative council last June 12. On July 25, the Iraqi "Coordinating Framework" proposed Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani as a candidate for the Iraqi prime ministership, which was rejected by supporters of the "Sadrist Movement," who stormed the Iraqi Parliament in the Green Zone twice within three days and announced an open sit-in at the parliament headquarters on July 30.

Al-Sadr's Demands

Al-Sadr, who enjoys great influence and whose actions are hard to predict, has the ability to pull Iraq out of the impasse it has been in since the October 2021 elections.

Since then, Iraq still does not have a new prime minister or government, as the Shiite forces have failed to reach an agreement among themselves.

The Sadrist Movement demands the dissolution of parliament and the holding of early legislative elections, while the Iran-backed Coordinating Framework wants these elections but with conditions, demanding the formation of a government before holding early elections.

On Saturday, Muqtada al-Sadr considered his previous demand to dissolve parliament and hold early elections less important currently and added a new demand, in a clear shift of his position.

Al-Sadr wrote in a tweet that "There is something more important than dissolving parliament and holding early elections. The most important thing is not to involve all parties and figures who have participated in the political process since the American occupation in 2003 until today (...) including the Sadrist Movement," the party he leads.

He continued: "I am ready within a maximum period of 72 hours to sign an agreement that includes that," pointing out that "if that is not achieved, there is no room for reform," but al-Sadr did not reveal the names of the figures he intends to appoint to lead the next government.