Al-Sadr says he is retiring from politics

Shafaq News/ Iraq's powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Monday said he is retiring from politics less than year after his bloc won a landslide victory in the parliamentary election.

"Many, including Sayyid al-Haeri, believe that this leadership came thanks to them," he tweeted, "No, it was thanks to God in the first place and the deluges of my father [Sayyid Mohammad Sadiq al-Sadr] who did not abandon Iraq and his people."

Al-Sadr criticized his fellow political leaders for failing to heed his calls for reform. He did not elaborate on the closure of his offices, but said that some of his cultural and religious institutions would remain open.

"I hereby announce my final withdrawal," al-Sadr said in a statement posted on Twitter.

Al-Sadr withdrew his lawmakers from parliament in June after he failed to form a government of his choosing. A political impasse between him and Shiite rivals close to Iran has given Iraq its longest run without a government.

Supporters of al-Sadr have since the end of July occupied parliament and protested near government buildings, halting the process to choose a new president and prime minister.

Monday's announcement raised fears that al-Sadr's supporters might escalate their protests, fuelling a new phase of instability in Iraq.