Iraq's Muqtada al-Sadr says his movement will run in October election
Erbil (Kurdistan 24) – Influential Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Friday reversed a mid-July decision to boycott the national parliamentary election scheduled for October 10.
"Dear friends, we will contest these elections with unparalleled determination and persistence in order to save and reform Iraq from occupation, corruption, normalization, and dependency," Sadr said, addressing his followers in a speech.
The senior figure affirmed that the interests of his movement "necessitated" that they run in the upcoming vote.
In a televised speech, Sadr said that his decision to return to the elections came after a number of political leaders, whom he did not specify, sent him a "reform pact" that would purportedly rid Iraq of endemic corruption and mismanagement.
Sadr's claim that he would not participate in the election came in mid-July when he forbade members of the Sadrist Movement, which he leads, from supporting or promoting any candidates.
As late as August 7, an advisor to Sadr maintained that the political kingmaker's decision to boycott the October 10 election was "final, decisive, and irreversible."
Read More: Sadr advisor stands by boycott of Iraqi general elections
Sadr walking back his decision came after sustained pressure from leading political figures in the country. The United Nation's top official in Iraq said on Wednesday boycotting the election "is not an effective strategy."
Read More: Boycott of Iraqi election 'not an effective strategy' for parties: UN envoy
Earlier in the week, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the party of former Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki called in a joint statement for the vote to go on as planned.
Related Article: Kurdish parties in Kirkuk 'on the right track' to participate in Iraqi election: KDP candidate
