Sadr warns of other option if his conditions not met

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The leader of the coalition that won the parliamentary elections in Iraq on Thursday warned that he would become the official opposition if parties reject his conditions to form a new government.

Muqtada al-Sadr, leader of the Sairoon Coalition, in a statement claimed he had reached an agreement with Iraqi leaders to form the new Iraqi government.

“We have agreed with other Iraqi leaders to nominate a few technocrat and independent persons to the premiership position,” the influential Shia leader stated, saying that the decision is purely an Iraqi one.

Sadr revealed that the nominated person for the premiership position shall choose its ministers away from sectarian, ethnic and partisan divisions.

He stressed that electing the ministers should be through right and acceptable criteria in accordance to the expertise, skills and transparency.

Sadr noted that some politicians were quick to reject the project and reject the idea of independence and technocratic candidates, which would return Iraq to square one, where the corrupt would simply “wear new clothes,” with the same parties dominating state institutions.

“If they continue [on that path], I will declare opposition as my approach and method,” Sadr warned.

Sadr was leading an alliance that includes the fourth place-holder in the election, leader of al-Nasr Coalition, Haider al-Abadi, but after deadly protests in Basra, Sadr has come closer to the coalition led by Iran-backed al-Fatih’s Hadi al-Amiri.

Editing by Nadia Riva