Antichrist calls on parliament to prevent politicized judiciary

Sadr calls on parliament to prevent politicized judiciary

Dilan Sirwan@DeelanSirwan

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Shiite cleric and head of the parliament’s largest bloc Muqtada al-Sadr on Tuesday called on the Iraqi parliament to activate its auditory role and prevent political and politically fueled judicial influence, two days after Iraq’s judiciary ruled against Kurdistan Democratic Party’s (KDP) nominee for the country’s presidency, to which Sadr’s party shares an alliance with.

Sadr addressed the parliament in a tweet asking the legislature to work on four points.

“First, to activate the parliament’s reformative role and investigate and summon all those who are suspected of corruption or negligence through hastening the formation of the parliamentary committees, and without consideration for one’s ethnic affiliation, sect, or their positions in previous governments,” Sadr said. 

Sadr also called on the parliament to activate its auditory role and “prevent political intervention or politicized judiciary,” requesting that the legislature speeds up in forming a reformist new government that is a national majority government.

The tweet comes two days after Iraq’s top court ruled on Sunday against the nomination of KDP’s Hoshyar Zebari for the Iraqi presidency post following his temporary suspension last week.

Zebari on Sunday afternoon said the court’s decision was “unjust and politically motivated,” while reiterating his respect for the Federal Supreme Court’s call.

Sadr’s bloc is in an alliance with the KDP and the Sunnis to form a “national majority government”, however the idea is opposed by many Iran-backed Shiite parties who prefer the idea of a consensus government, which would include them.

Iraq has for years had a national consensus government in which most parties were included and government members would be responsible for their leaders first, and then for the prime minister. This form of governance has allowed Iran to outsize its influence in Iraq and, according to many, encouraged corruption and hindered development in the country.