Al Sistani calls for government formation

Iraq’s top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani called for a government to be formed as soon as possible to tackle corruption and poor basic services.

In a Friday sermon delivered by a representative, Al Sistani also encouraged the incumbent government of Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi to respond urgently to protesters’ demands seeking better basic services and jobs.

“The current government must work hard urgently to implement citizens’ demands to reduce their suffering and misery,” Al Sistani’s representative said in Karbala.

Anger is mounting at a time when politicians are struggling to form a government after the May 12 election, which was marred by allegations of fraud that prompted a recount.

Al Sistani, a reclusive octogenarian, is revered by millions of Shiites in Iraq and abroad.

Long-neglected south

Thousands have protested this month in cities in the long-neglected south, Iraq’s Shiite heartland, against the lack of proper government services.

Demonstrations over the same issues have occurred in the past but the unrest this time is more widespread and is politically sensitive. Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi is seeking a second term after the parliamentary election which was tainted by allegations of corruption.

Al Sistani said the next prime minister in the new government had to be strong and courageous to fight corruption in government.

High unemployment

“He (the new prime minister) must launch a relentless war against the corrupted and those who protect them,” Al Sistani’s representative said.

According to the World Bank, the overall unemployment rate in Iraq stands at 11.2 per cent and is nearly twice that, 21.6 per cent, in areas that once were under Daesh control and endured heavy destruction from military operations that officially ended late last year.