Jaafar al-Sadr withdrew his candidacy to be the next PM

Shafaq News/ The Iraqi ambassador to the UK, Jaafar al-Sadr, withdrew his candidacy to be the next Iraqi prime minister on Monday.

The step came after the influential Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr asked lawmakers from the Sadrist bloc in Iraq's parliament to resign amid a prolonged stalemate over forming a government.

"I accepted the candidacy (for Prime Minister) of His Eminence Sayyid al-Sadr in support of his national reform project, and now is the time to step back and withdraw, thanks to His Eminence (Muqtada Al-Sar) and the National Save the Homeland Alliance for their trust." Jaafar Al-Sadr, the son of the prominent Shiite cleric Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr, said on Twitter.

Muqtada Al-Sadr considered his decision a "sacrifice from me for the country and the people to rid them of the unknown destiny, as we did earlier to liberate Iraq and its sovereignty, security, unity, and stability."

Soon after, the parliamentary speaker Mohamad Al-Halboosi accepted the resignations.

Sadr's party was the biggest winner in October 2021 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.