Al-Sadr To Bow Out of Forthcoming Provincial Elections: Source

Shafaq News/ The leader of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, has chosen to refrain from taking part in the upcoming provincial council elections expected to be held later this year, an insider revealed on Sunday.

The confidant, who wished to remain unnamed, told Shafaq News Agency, "al-Sadr has relayed to the inner circle that he has decided against the Sadrist Movement participating in the provincial council elections."

"The clergyman will not back any roster, directly or indirectly," the source added.

The influential Shiite cleric has yet to make a firm stand on the Sadrists' involvement in the subsequent parliamentary elections, leaving open the question of whether the Movement would boycott or participate in those elections.

"There are ongoing efforts by those close to al-Sadr to dissuade him from abstaining from the local elections," the source commented.

In an early election held on October 10, 2021, the Sadrist bloc emerged victorious with 73 seats under its name. Along with Kurdish and Sunni parties, it forged the largest parliamentary bloc, known as the "Trilateral Coalition". However, they failed to elect the president, who would, in turn, commission the candidate of the largest bloc to form the government.

In late March 2022, al-Sadr announced his withdrawal from the government formation process, allowing the Coordination Framework to take up this task. By June, al-Sadr had requested members of the Sadrist bloc to tender their resignations from the Council of Representatives. Days later, the maverick politician entered a state of political seclusion, vowing not to participate in any future elections.