Al-Sadr: some parties want to impede the government formation

Shafaq News/ The leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, lambasted on Sunday the "interference" of some parties in the work of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC).

Al-Sadr's remarks came in response to the statement of the head of Al-Fatah Alliance, Hadi al-Ameri, on providing evidence to the Supreme Federal Court that might ultimately annul the election results. 

The Populist Shiite Cleric commended IHEC's integrity and professionalism and denounced "all the political and security pressure exerted upon the Commission since day one."

"[Nobody] shall interfere in the work of the court and the ratification of the election results that some parties want to change to cope with the largest bloc and impede the formation of a majority government."

The movement of the Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr maintained the most seats in parliament, leading in several of Iraq’s 18 provinces, including the capital Baghdad. Al-Sadr, a maverick leader remembered for leading an insurgency against US forces after the 2003 invasion, appeared to have increased his movement’s seats in the 329-member parliament from 54 in 2018 to more than 70.

Meanwhile, the Iran-backed al-Fatah Alliance that represents the Shiite paramilitary group known as al-Hashd al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilization Forces-PMF) lost two-thirds of its parliament seats, dropping from 48 to around 15— a stunning defeat. The alliance had made big gains after participating in elections for the first time in 2018. At the time, it was riding a wave of popularity after playing a major role, alongside Iraqi security forces and a U.S.-led coalition, in the defeat of Islamic State group extremists across the country in 2017.