CF committee to hold negotiations with al-Sadr 

Shafaq News / The Coordination Framework (CF) will discuss, during its meeting, ways to overcome the current political crisis, a source in the CF revealed.

The source told Shafaq News agency that the meeting, scheduled to be held today evening, might be followed by a statement calling on the Sadrist movement to retract its decision.

The CF will also form a committee to represent the parties it includes and negotiate with Muqtada al-Sadr. 

Yesterday, the members of the Sadrist bloc in Iraq's parliament resigned earlier today after their leader, powerful Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, asked them to step down amid a prolonged stalemate over forming a government.

Al-Sadr's party was the biggest winner in an October general election, increasing the number of seats it holds in parliament to 73. But political disagreement among parties has hindered the parliament from electing a president and forming a government.

Al-Sadr, a populist who has positioned himself as a staunch opponent of both Iran and the US, said in a handwritten statement that his request to lawmakers to resign was “a sacrifice from me for the country and the people to rid them of the unknown destiny”.

Soon after, the parliamentary speaker accepted the resignations.

In a video shown on Iraq's state news agency INA, Speaker Mohammed al-Halboosi was seen signing the lawmakers' resignations.