Muqtada al-Sadr denounces the political and security pressure on IHEC
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The populist Shia leader and politician Muqtada al-Sadr has defended Iraq's Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) and said it must not be subjected to pressure intended to interfere with its work.
"We denounce and condemn all the political and security pressures that IHEC has been facing since the first day of its work until today," al-Sadr tweeted on Sunday night. "The work of the judiciary and court in approving the results of the elections should not be interfered with."
— مقتدى السيد محمد الصدر (@Mu_AlSadr) November 21, 2021
"Some sides want to interfere in the judiciary's work to change the election result, to compete with the biggest bloc, and to disable the majority government," he added.
Al-Sadr went on to affirm IHEC's integrity and the professionalism of its work. He rejected any interference in IHEC's work and emphasized the importance of keeping its members safe.
Read More: Muqtada al-Sadr calls for full acceptance of Iraqi election result
Al-Sadr concluded his tweet by thanking all IHEC employees, particularly Judge Jalil Adnan Khalaf, and hailing their professionalism and impartiality.
"I extend my thanks to all its members, especially to Brother Judge Jalil Adnan Khalaf," al-Sadr said.
In Iraq's October parliamentary elections, al-Sadr won 73 seats, the most in the election and far more than his Iran-backed competitors.
Al-Sadr aims to form a majority government on the back of this electoral victory.
As a goodwill gesture following the October elections, al-Sadr gradually began to disarm and dissolve his armed militias, starting with Saraya al-Salam and then the Promised Day Brigade. He ordered the dissolution of the Promised Day Brigade, the closure of its headquarters, and the surrender of its weapons within 48 hours in a Friday (Nov.19) tweet.
— مقتدى السيد محمد الصدر (@Mu_AlSadr) November 19, 2021
Sadr went on to express his hope that his step will be the first step toward dissolving all armed factions outside of the control of the state and "that it will be a message of safety and peace for all the people."
Read More: Iraqi cleric al-Sadr to close his militia's headquarters in all but 4 provinces