Sadr meets Abadi, hints at coalition government
Iraqi cleric Moqtada Al Sadr cannot become prime minister because he did not run in the election
BAGHDAD: Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi met with Moqtada Al Sadr on Saturday, less than 24 hours after the cleric’s bloc was declared winner of Iraq’s parliamentary election, the clearest sign yet they could work together to form a coalition.
“During our meeting, we agreed to work together and with other parties to expedite the process of forming a new Iraqi government,” Abadi said at a joint press conference. “It will be a strong government, capable of providing to its citizens services, security and economic prosperity.”
Sadr cannot become prime minister because he did not run in the election.
However, his bloc’s victory puts him in a position to have a strong say in negotiations. His Sairoon electoral list captured 54 parliamentary seats, 12 more than Abadi’s.
“Our door is open to anyone as long as they want to build the nation, and that it be an Iraqi decision,” Sadr said.
A bloc led by Hadi Al Amiri, one of the most powerful figures in Iraq, came in second.
Winning the largest number of seats does not automatically guarantee that Sadr will be able to hand-pick a prime minister.
Parties will have to align themselves to try and form a bloc large enough for the parliamentary majority necessary to nominate a candidate.
The government should be formed within 90 days of the official results, but negotiations are expected to drag on for months.
The election dealt a blow to Abadi, but he could still emerge as a compromise candidate palatable to all sides. In recent days, Sadr also met with Ammar Al Hakim, whose Hikma Movement trailed in seventh place, as well as with ambassadors from Iraq’s neighbouring countries including Saudi Arabia.