Al-Sadr remains “hard to predict” amid renewed CF “negotiations”
Shafaq News – Baghdad
Iraqi Coordination Framework (CF), a coalition of Shiite political groups, has initiated new outreach efforts to persuade the head of the Shiite Patriotic Movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, to reverse his decision to boycott the upcoming parliamentary elections, sources told Shafaq News on Sunday.
“The move comes amid concerns that supporters of al-Sadr may cast their votes for candidates unaffiliated with the CF, a scenario that could shift electoral dynamics,” the sources explained, adding that religious leaders from outside Iraq have reportedly been enlisted in an attempt to influence al-Sadr’s stance. “The CF remains divided on this initiative, with some factions opposing any outreach to al-Sadr,” one source said, “but the majority have agreed to proceed with this attempt.”
Read more: Al-Sadr tightens grip from outside politics, sets high bar for return
Al-Sadr previously withdrew from Iraq’s political process in June 2022, instructing all 73 members of parliament affiliated with his movement to resign. In March 2025, he reaffirmed his boycott, declaring that Iraq was “living its final breaths” and that his movement would not take part in what he described as a flawed political process.
Last week, a close associate of al-Sadr, Saleh Muhammad al-Iraqi, stated that his return to the political arena would be contingent on sweeping reforms and the replacement of senior government officials.
A senior official from al-Sadr’s movement reiterated to Shafaq News that the cleric’s decision to boycott the elections remains unchanged. “The doors are still closed and will remain so,” the official affirmed, but said that “the decision is exclusively in al-Sadr’s hands, and no one can predict it.”
The official also dismissed speculation that Sadrists may vote for candidates outside the Coordination Framework, calling such claims “personal interpretations” without basis.
