Al-Sistani refutes reports about his involvement in forming the government

Shafaq News/ An official in the bureau of the Supreme Shiite Authority in Najaf, Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Sistani, refuted the reports about the latter's involvement in the selection of the upcoming Iraqi cabinet lineup.

A statement shared on the official website of al-Sistani said earlier today, "the Supreme Religious Authority is not a part of any meetings, calls, and consultations related to establishing alliances or forming the upcoming government."

"The news promoted by some parties, media, and social media platforms are otherwise unfounded," the statement said.

A source close to the Supreme Shiite Authority said that it has launched an initiative to bridge the gap between the Shiite political forces incited by the October 10 election results, and form a government by consensus ultimately.

The source told Shafaq News Agency that Mohammad Reda al-Sistani, the son of the Shiite Marja'a, is leading an initiative to mend fences between the Coordination Framework and the Sadrist movement.

Al-Sistani's move aims to render the Shiite force agree upon a nominee for the Premiership before commencing the negotiations with the Sunni and Kurdish forces.

The source said that Mohammad Reda al-Sistani is orchestrating those efforts either by himself or via representatives.

In this regard, a leading figure of the State of Law Coalition, Jasem al-Bayati, said that senior clerics are working to reunite the "Shiite house" and choose a figure that both the Sadrists and the Coordination Framework agree upon.

"Those [al-Sistani's] efforts might resolve many issues inside the Shiite house. It is welcomed by all the Shiite political forces because it aims to stabilize the political and security situation in Iraq. The impact of this intervention will manifest itself in the next few days," al-Bayati said.