Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr quits politics

BAGHDAD (AA) – Iraq’s influential Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Monday announced his total withdrawal from politics.

"I declare that I have quit political work and withdrawn completely from politics,” al-Sadr said in a statement on twitter.

The firebrand cleric also announced the closure of all institutions except his father's shrine, the historical monument institution and the al-Sadr family’s museum.

On Saturday, al-Sadr called on the country’s political parties to step aside and hold early elections to help solve Iraq’s months-long political crisis.

He also called for eliminating all parties and personalities that participated in the political process since the US occupation in 2003, from the political scene in Iraq.

Al-Sadr’s move comes one day before Iraq’s Federal Supreme Council is set to consider a lawsuit demanding the dissolution of Parliament on Aug. 30.

On August 14, the Supreme Judicial Council said it does not have the authority to dissolve the assembly.

Intra-Shia disputes have prevented the formation of a new government in Iraq since the last elections on Oct. 10, 2021.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat