Muqtada al-Sadr calls for expediting Iraqi government formation

Kurdistan 24 2022/02/15 19:06

Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr delivers a statement at a press conference in Najaf, Feb. 10, 2021. (Photo: AFP)

Erbil (Kurdistan 24) – Influential Iraqi leader and Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Tuesday called for expediting the formation of a new federal government while rejecting using a quota system to allocate positions.

A self-styled nationalist, Sadr also emphasized in a statement published on Twitter the importance of a "reformist" parliament summoning officials suspected of corruption and dereliction of duty.

He reiterated the new government must be one of "national majority," as he has repeatedly insisted with talks among various political coalitions dragging on over four months after Iraq's legislative election in October.

Sadr's parliamentary coalition, the Sadrist Movement, was the biggest winner in the vote. The group currently appears to be in an alliance with the top Kurdish party, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and the leading Sunni Taqadum and Azm alliances.

After the Federal Supreme Court dismissed Hoshyar Zebari as a presidential candidate, efforts to form a new government hit a stop. New names have entered the race with no clear parliamentary session scheduled to vote on the nominees.

After a president is elected, lawmakers can move on to deciding the future prime minister who would be tasked with forming a cabinet and face a vote of confidence.