Parliamentary election in Iraq: Al-Sadr is heading for victory

Status: 11.10.2021 11:55 p.m.

In the early parliamentary elections in Iraq, there are signs of a clear victory for the Shiite cleric al-Sadr. He has already declared himself the winner and announced the fight against corruption.

The current of the Shiite cleric Muktada al-Sadr is facing a clear victory in the parliamentary elections in Iraq. According to preliminary results of the election commission, she reached more than 60 of 329 seats in the House of Representatives in the vote on Sunday.

Al-Sadr claimed victory in the evening for himself. In Baghdad, followers of the preacher celebrated in the streets. In a televised address, Al-Sadr warned other states not to interfere in the formation of governments. At the same time he declared war on corruption. All corrupt would be held accountable.

Shiites in power since 2003

The Shiite majority in the Iraqi population has provided or dominated all governments since the US-led invasion in 2003. Sunday’s elections were brought forward after mass protests in 2019 overthrew the then government and widespread anger against top politicians became evident. Many are accused of getting rich at the expense of the country.

Observers do not expect conditions in Iraq to change fundamentally as a result of the election result. After the first counting results, Sadr has a dominant role again.

The populist preacher has often been the kingmaker in Iraqi politics in the past. He has spoken out against any foreign intervention, including Iran, but regularly visits the neighboring country. Since 2003, parliamentary elections have been followed by difficult negotiations to form a government, which can drag on for months.

Loss for the second-placed Fatah coalition

Al-Sadr’s current had already become the strongest force in the 2018 parliamentary election. According to the preliminary results, the Fatah coalition, which was second at the time, had to accept significant losses. It is linked to the Shiite militias and is supported by Iran. Fatah could lose more than half of its seats.

The distrust in politics was also evident in the voter turnout, which fell to a record low of around 41 percent during the vote. Observers saw this as a clear sign of the frustration of many Iraqis with the political situation.

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