Iraqi parliament speaker backs al-Sadr’s call for early elections

BAGHDAD (AA) – Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohammed Al-Halbusi on Friday announced his support for Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's call for early elections in the country.

"We support proceeding with parliamentary and local elections within an agreed period of time to restart the democratic process under the roof of the constitution and understanding in line with the country's supreme national interest," Al-Halbusi tweeted, asserting that the sit-in inside the parliament and al-Sadr's call for early polls "cannot in any way be neglected."

On Wednesday, al-Sadr called for the dissolution of parliament and the holding of early polls as part of a nine-month-old political crisis that has stalled the government formation since the Oct. 10, 2021 elections.

Last June, 73 lawmakers of al-Sadr's movement resigned from the 329-seat Council of Representatives after failing to form a "national majority" government, as the "coordinating framework" hampered the formation of a "national consensus" government that allows the parliamentary majority to form the government.

Last Saturday, Al-Sadr's supporters stormed the parliament headquarters in the capital Baghdad for the second time in less than a week to reject the nomination of the Mohammad Shia Al-Sudani for the position of prime minister.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat