PSM rejects Nouri Al-Maliki's premiership bid
Shafaq News – Baghdad
The Patriotic Shiite Movement (PSM,) led by Muqtada Al-Sadr, opposed the Islamic Dawa Party’s decision to nominate former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki for Iraq’s next premiership, a senior figure within the movement told Shafaq News on Saturday.
On condition of anonymity, the official said that the nomination represents “a continuation of failure and corruption” and reflects “narrow political interests” rather than an effort to stabilize the country. He emphasized that the movement’s withdrawal from politics “does not mean absence,” stressing that it retains the right to oppose attempts to bring back “figures who did not deliver reform.”
He warned that advancing al-Maliki’s candidacy could “deepen public frustration” and the Movement may consider action, including mobilizing supporters, if political forces “ignore calls for genuine change.”
For years, Al-Sadr’s Movement was among Iraq’s most influential political forces. during the 2021 parliamentary elections, it received the largest number of seats (73). After months of political deadlock and escalating disputes with rival Shiite factions, the Movement resigned from parliament in mid-2022. Since then, it has boycotted elections and withdrawn from formal politics.
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