Antichrist Bets on Independent MPs for Forming Gov’t

Iraq’s Sadrist Movement, Coordination Framework Bet on Independent MPs for Forming Gov’t

Friday, 6 May, 2022 – 09:45

Sadrist Movement leader Muqtada al-Sadr, Asharq Al-Awsat

Baghdad – Asharq Al-Awsat

Sadrist Movement leader Muqtada al-Sadr concluded the forty-day deadline he granted his opponents (the Coordination Framework) to form the government, with a surprising tweet.

A day after the Coordination Framework announced an initiative to solve the political impasse in the country, seven months after holding “early” elections, throwing the ball into the court of the independents to form a government, Sadr announced his plan to form a government.

Sadr declared on Wednesday that the Coordination Framework had “failed” to form a government in the period they were provided, and called on the legislature’s 43 independent members, to form a government “within a maximum period of 15 days.”

“Independent deputies will, within two days, present their vision on the issue of the political impasse and the proposed initiatives,” independent MP Hussein Arbab, coordinator of the “Independent Iraq Alliance,” told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Arbab declined to comment on the independents’ position with either initiative presented by Sadr and the Coordination Framework.

However, he acknowledged the existence of “different views among independent representatives regarding the possibility of participating in the government and holding executive positions or not.”

For his part, Chairman of Iraq Advisory Council Farhad Alaaldin identified the categories of independents in the Iraqi parliament.

“Those who are truly independent are less than seven,” tweeted Alaaldin, adding that those who say they are independent but side with the Coordination Framework are at least ten.

Independent lawmakers influenced by Sadr are between seven and ten.

Between 24 and 30 independent lawmakers are either influenced or funded by some party or politician, added Alaaldin.

Given what has been mentioned, Alaaldin predicted the stalemate to last.

While the Coordination Framework’s initiative stipulated that everyone sit at one dialogue table, Sadr cut off any path to dialogue with his opponents and called on independent representatives to join his alliance and promised to give them more space to form a government.