Unlike other Shiite parties in Iraq, populist cleric Muqtada al-Sadr announced on Wednesday that he backed holding early parliamentary elections in October overseen by the UN.
In a rare press conference outside his home in the Iraqi shrine city of Najaf, Sadr warned that delaying elections will have a catastrophic impact on the Levantine country.
“Delaying the elections would be a disaster for Iraq,” said Sadr, adding that rival parties would try to rig the vote.
“I don't want fraud. That's why I'm asking for UN intervention and supervision,” he stressed.
He, however, emphasized that the UN can supervise the upcoming vote “on condition that other countries would not interfere”.
The elections will be taking place under a new electoral law that has reduced the size of constituencies and eliminated list-based voting in favor of votes for individual candidates.
Sadr's supporters are expected to make major gains under the new system.
In November, Sadr said he would push for the next prime minister to be a member of his movement for the first time. This has widened divisions among Shiite blocs in Iraq.
More so, Sadr floated the idea that the UN can play an effective role in sponsoring dialogue among Iraqi parties.
He also reiterated support for Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, saying that the government head had vowed to restore state authority.
Sadr defended the recent deployment of militants from the Sadrist Movement’s military wing, Saraya al Salam, across Baghdad.
“Some said that what happened was against the state prestige, and if I had doubted that what the Saraya al Salam forces did was against the state prestige, I would not have allowed it,” he said.
He also said he will not stay silent about “violations” against army and police forces, stressing that he is with protests against corruption, provided that they are “peaceful without burning, blocking roads or attacking state institutions.”
Anti-state demonstrators and Sadr have exchanged accusations of undermining Iraq’s security. While protesters accuse Sadrists of killing, assaulting and kidnapping activists, Sadr has claimed that the demonstrations were transgressing against state institutions and were hostile to security forces.
