After two years of isolation, Al-Sadr is looking for a majority that will not force him to ally with

POSTED ON[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] BY [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

[size=52]After two years of isolation, Al-Sadr is looking for a majority that will not force him to ally with parties[/size]

[size=45]Baghdad/ Tamim Al-Hassan[/size]
[size=45]Muqtada al-Sadr, the leader of the National Shiite Movement (formerly the Sadrist Movement), stipulates that he will not ally with the current political forces in exchange for running in the upcoming elections. More than one Shiite source talks about discussions taking place within the movement about the next stage, the “rehabilitation” of Al-Sadr’s supporters, and influence on the political process from outside power.[/size]
[size=45]In the last two months, there have been shifts in Al-Sadr's activity, from his exciting meeting with the supreme authority, Ali Al-Sistani, until his first public appearance after his retirement from politics about two years ago.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Sadr, in a speech to his audience in Najaf on Saturday, directed veiled criticism at the government and his opponents within the Shiite coordination framework.[/size]
[size=45]The last political meeting between Al-Sadr and the Shiite forces was in December 2021, days after the legislative elections, and it took place at the home of Hadi Al-Amiri (leader of the Badr Organization) in Baghdad.[/size]
[size=45]The leader of the movement at the time informed the leaders of the Shiite parties, for the first time, of his intention to form a “political majority” government, which a former Sadrist deputy says is “an idea that has been proposed until now.”[/size]
[size=45]“After several experiences with the Shiite forces, it is no longer possible to ally with those parties, and the solution is to obtain a majority that does not force us to partner with them,” according to what the former MP reports from discussions within the movement.[/size]
[size=45]The next legislative elections are supposed to take place at the end of 2025, while news of “early elections” is still circulating in political circles despite the limited time.[/size]
[size=45]So far, according to the former MP who requested that his name not be published, Al-Sadr “has not decided on the elections,” while the former continues to criticize those in power.[/size]
[size=45]In Al-Sadr’s last speech on the anniversary of the assassination of his father, Muhammad Sadiq Al-Sadr (assassinated in February 1999) with his brothers, he called on his supporters to unite, and added: “Unity is within the national Shiite movement and not with the corrupt.”[/size]
[size=45]Since his retirement in 2022, Al-Sadr has hinted, more than once, that those in power are “corrupt,” and he also described the government several months ago as “the government of Bani Abbas.”[/size]
[size=45]The leader of the movement has since played with the nerves of his opponents, says a political advisor, as the “framework” believed that Al-Sadr would return to politics as in previous times.[/size]
[size=45]The advisor to one of the Shiite parties adds: “Some forces see the Sadrists as a time bomb that could explode in the street at any moment, so they are trying to drag them into participating in the elections.”[/size]
[size=45]It seems that Nouri al-Maliki, for more than one reason, was most ambitious for al-Sadr’s return from isolation, which prompted him to flirt with him with “early elections.”[/size]
[size=45]A leader in the call said earlier that a delegation from the party met with supporters of the movement’s leader and demanded “accelerating the elections,” which was denied by circles in Al-Hanana, where Al-Sadr’s headquarters is in Najaf.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Maliki was looking to get closer to Al-Sadr, a dream he had been pursuing for more than a year, to undermine the popularity of Mohammed Al-Sudani, the prime minister, who might get a second term.[/size]
[size=45]On the other hand, the leader of the State of Law is considered the most affected by the movement remaining out of power, due to the harsh criticism directed by Al-Sadr against the former, which affects the popularity of Al-Maliki’s party.[/size]
[size=45]In Al-Sadr's last speech, he indirectly criticized the government's negotiations and the "framework" with the United States.[/size]
[size=45]Speaking to his supporters, who were chanting, “No, No, America,” Al-Sadr said to address this speech to the negotiators now.[/size]
[size=45]In his speech, the leader of the National Movement presented more than one reason behind the assassination of his father and brothers. He once accused the banned Baath Party, and another time what he called “brute colonialism.”[/size]
[size=45]He also did not forget to remind Al-Sadr of those he called “opponents” of his father, “east and west,” of involvement in his assassination, and those he called “the estranged ones” who left Muhammad Al-Sadr for “worldly” reasons, according to his description.[/size]
[size=45]As for the last group, Al-Sadr told his supporters, “You know them. They have created division from that time until now.”[/size]
[size=45]Chest transformations[/size]
[size=45]Since last Ramadan (March), Al-Sadr's public appearance has increased, as he wanders the markets, visits the supreme authority in Najaf, Ali Al-Sistani, and organizes relief campaigns for Gaza.[/size]
[size=45]After the rare meeting, where the authority has refused to receive politicians for years, Al-Sadr directed the resigned parliamentary bloc to communicate with the public, in a step that was interpreted as a gradual return of the movement to politics.[/size]
[size=45]Hours after the new directive, the “resigning bloc” met to form committees for communicating with the grassroots, according to a statement from the movement’s media.[/size]
[size=45]The leader of the movement requested the formation of five central committees, including the resigned Sadrist bloc committee headed by Hassan Al-Adhari, to carry out “educational” and “religious” tasks.[/size]
[size=45]A few days later, Al-Sadr announced that he had adopted the name “National Shiite Movement” instead of the Sadrist Movement. In his last speech, the logo of the New Movement was in front of him on the podium, in the middle of the Iraqi and Palestinian flags.[/size]
[size=45]A leader in the movement says: “We are currently rehabilitating the movement’s supporters... and our influence is great even though we are out of power.”[/size]
[size=45]Al-Sadr had pushed for amending the “prostitution” law to include homosexuality, and he is also currently proposing to consider Day of Ghadir as an “official holiday.”[/size]
[size=45]The leader, who requested that his name not be mentioned because he was not authorized to make a statement, confirms that the movement’s return to politics, and according to Al-Sadr’s previous adoptions, includes “dissolving the current House of Representatives, and maintaining the previous election law,” in light of which the 2021 elections were held and which the “framework” changed after that.[/size]
[size=45]On the other hand, most of the forces of the coordinating framework do not see the need now to amend the election law, with the exception of Al-Maliki, and Al-Sadr no longer has the previous influence, especially with the resignation of his deputies and the loss of the governors after the recent local elections, and the removal of about 40 Sadrist officials from special ranks, according to those close to the movement.[/size]
[size=45]Despite this, the leader of the movement says, “We are not forced to participate in the elections if we do not get rid of the corrupt team. Remaining in retirement is better than the participation of the corrupt.[/size]
[size=45][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]