Shia cleric’s bloc officially wins
BAGHDAD: A political bloc led by populist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, a long-time adversary of the US who also opposes Iranian influence in Iraq, has won the country’s parliamentary election, the electoral commission said on Saturday.
Sadr himself cannot become prime minister as he did not run in the election, though his bloc’s victory puts him in a position to have a strong say in negotiations. His Sairoon electoral list captured 54 parliamentary seats.
The Victory Alliance, headed by incumbent prime minister Haider al-Abadi, trailed in third place with 42 seats, several seats behind the Al-Fatih bloc, which won 47 seats. Al-Fatih is led by Hadi al-Amiri, who has close ties with Iran and heads an umbrella group of paramilitaries that played a key role in defeating Islamic State.
The results were announced a week after Iraqis voted in a nationwide election, which produced surprising results amid historically low turnout. Winning the largest number of seats does not automatically guarantee that Sadr will be able to handpick a prime minister.
Since no electoral list won an outright majority, negotiations to form a government are expected to drag on for months. Parties will have to align themselves to try and form a block large enough for the parliamentary majority necessary to nominate a candidate. “Your vote is an honour for us,” Sadr tweeted moments after the official results were announced in the early hours of Saturday. “We will not disappoint you.”
The victory was a surprising change of fortunes for the Shia cleric. Sadr, who made his name leading two violent uprisings against US occupation troops, had been sidelined for years by Iranian-backed rivals.
His bloc’s performance represented a rebuke to a political elite that some voters blame for widespread corruption and dysfunctional governance. It was also bolstered by a historically low turnout across the country, estimated earlier in the week at 44.5%. Sadr maintains a loyal support base that turned up to the polls amid widespread national apathy.