Status: 07/19/2021 3:18 p.m.
The Shiite cleric al-Sadr is considered fickle, but has a large following in Iraq. Now he has announced that he will boycott the parliamentary elections – and the long-awaited stabilization threatens to move into the distant future.
From Tilo Spanhel,
ARD studio Cairo
Shortly before the parliamentary elections in Iraq, efforts to stabilize the country suffered a setback: Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr announced that he would not take part in the vote and he withdrew his support from the country’s current government. This could mean that the next House of Representatives is on a weak footing as the current one.
There is great disenchantment with politics in Iraq. If you believe the official figures, the turnout in the last election in 2018 was just 44.5 percent. That was the lowest result since ex-dictator Saddam Hussein was overthrown in 2003. The turnout was lowest in the south of the country. Above all, many Shiites live here, who feel forgotten by the largely Sunni elites in the country.
Displeasure with mismanagement
The Shiite cleric’s announcement of a boycott could deepen this split. The 48-year-old justified his move with ongoing corruption and mismanagement by the government. Only recently did a devastating fire break out in a southern Iraqi hospital. In the fire on a Corona station, more than 90 people were killed and around a hundred were injured, some seriously. In April, a fire in another hospital killed around 80 people. Both accidents are attributed to inadequate security measures – a consequence and expression of mismanagement and corruption.
Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi announced the early elections after mass protests in the spring. Efforts to stabilize the country are now likely to have been thrown back.
Great influence on citizens and parties
Al-Sadr follow millions of people in Iraq. He also has control of a substantial group of political parties in the Iraqi parliament. Observers point out, however, that this is not the first boycott of the Shiite cleric. “He does that practically every time he wants to distance himself from other politicians and the political system,” said political scientist Renad Mansour in an interview with the television channel “Al Jazeera”.
Yehia al-Kubeissy, a Jordanian political scientist, told Al Arabiya television: “This is clearly part of al-Sadr’s tactics. Iraqi politicians should be used to these maneuvers by now. He is trying to put pressure on political actors in Iraq and to put pressure on his demands. ”
Popularized by fighting US troops
Al-Sadr is seen by many people in Iraq as a symbol of resistance: He founded and led the “Mahdi Army”, which has now been banned. The group became known for leading the armed fighting between US troops and Shiites in 2003. The group was re-established under the name “Friedenskompanie” and has been active as a paramilitary militia ever since. It includes several thousand armed fighters.
The cleric is a controversial figure in Iraqi politics. He is often described as spirited and unpredictable, but his fickleness is not a problem for his followers. Its popularity is based not least on its often repeated accusation that the political elite of Iraq get rich from the poor. These accusations are met with open ears.
Hard to miss: In the Sadr City district of Baghdad you come across images of the cleric al Sadr more often.
Image: REUTERS
Huge centrifugal forces in the country
A parliamentary election without al-Sadr’s participation or support could further weaken parliament’s legitimacy and strengthen the centrifugal forces in the country. Because not only are different political actors fighting for power in Iraq – many of them are entangled in one way or another with regional powers. Iran, Turkey or Saudi Arabia are vying for more influence in the torn country and therefore support different groups or individuals.
For this reason too, the tone between the political and religious currents in Iraq has intensified. Some of their supporters are hostile towards each other, hold each other responsible for the grievances and accuse the other side of being paid from abroad.
In addition, extremist groups are still carrying out attacks, trying to further destabilize and divide the country. The economic situation is also contributing to the crisis: Unemployment is high and the power goes out for days in whole regions. Even if al-Sadr is anything but a guarantee of stability, his influence could plunge Iraq further into chaos.