Legislative in Iraq: Moqtada Sadr withdraws from the electoral race
A poster of the ever popular Iraqi Shiite religious leader Moqtada Sadr in Baghdad, June 21, 2021. REUTERS - AHMED SAAD
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2 min
With less than three months before the legislative elections in Iraq, Moqtada Sadr is retiring from the race.
The powerful Shiite religious leader is however at the head of the main parliamentary bloc and was still the favorite for this election.
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"
I will not take part in the
elections, because
the nation is better than that
", declared Thursday
Moqtada Sadr
.
His decision, he assures, aims to "
preserve what remains of the country and save it
".
And the ever-popular religious leader says he is withdrawing his support from any candidate and any minister while his bloc is part of the current majority.
With this withdrawal, Moqtada Sadr is trying to distance himself from the government as
demonstrations
of discontent have followed one another in recent weeks.
The protesters denounce the power and water cuts or the corruption of the leaders, responsible in their eyes for the fire of a hospital this week, which killed more than 60 people.
► See also: Iraq: at least 64 dead in the fire at the Nassiriya hospital
His supporters occupy many key positions in the administrations and rival groups close to Iran accuse his movement of being responsible for the situation in which the country finds itself.
But if to avoid embodying Iraq's dysfunctions, he says he is withdrawing from the race, his party could, despite everything, remain in the running in order to preserve its influence at the top of the state.
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