Iraq: Influential cleric demands early elections

Powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Wednesday called for the dissolution of Iraq's parliament and early elections. 

Al-Sadr's demand came after thousands of his followers stormed the parliament building over the weekend and declared a sit-in. 

The protesters were demonstrating against the involvement of Iran-backed political groups in the formation of the next government. 

In a televised speech in the holy city of Najaf, in central Iraq, al-Sadr insisted that the sit-in by "revolutionaries" must continue until parliament is dissolved.

What is behind the latest deadlock?

Under the Iraqi constitution, the legislature can only be dissolved by a majority vote, which can only be put forward at the request of either a third of lawmakers or the prime minister with the president's agreement.

The cleric's supporters, who call themselves Sadrists, were angry about the rival Shiite Coordination Framework nominating former minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani for the prime minister's position.

Al-Sadr's bloc fell short of a majority after the last elections in October, but it still managed to emerge as the biggest faction.

The 73 lawmakers in al-Sadr's bloc quit in June in an apparent bid to break the political deadlock, effectively making the pro-Iran alliance the biggest in parliament.  

Al-Sadr said he was "certain" that the Iraqi people are "exasperated by the ruling class in its entirety, including some [politicians] belonging to my movement." 

'No point in dialogue'

Al-Sadr also dismissed dialogue with his his political rivals in the Coordination Framework, an alliance of mostly Iran-backed parties. Al-Sadr said that talks in the past "didn't result in anything for us or for the country."

"There is no point of that dialogue, especially after people have spoken their free and spontaneous word," he said.

The Coordination Framework includes the Hashed al-Shaabi, a former paramilitary network now integrated into Iraq's security forces. Al-Sadr's longtime foe, former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, is also part of the grouping. 

The rejection of talks follows a growing chorus of calls for dialogue from outgoing Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, President Barham Saleh and Al-Sadr's foe al-Maliki, as well as international voices like French President Emmanuel Macron. 

The United Nations also urged Iraq's political leaders to prioritize national interest and end the power struggle. 

"Meaningful dialogue among all Iraqi parties is now more urgent than ever, as recent events have demonstrated the rapid risk of escalation in this tense political climate," the UN mission in Iraq warned on Wednesday.

fb/rs (AFP, AP)