Tuesday, November 30th, 2021
Dispute over result ended
Mullah al-Sadr wins election in Iraq
Iraq has been suffering from high tensions since the parliamentary elections in October. Pro-Iranian militias do not want to acknowledge their losses and instigate violent clashes with security forces. Now the electoral commission declares the Iran-critical clergy al-Sadr the election winner.
After weeks of sometimes violent clashes over the outcome of the parliamentary elections in Iraq, the election commission confirmed the victory of the influential Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr. According to the commission, his block has 73 of the 329 seats in Parliament in Baghdad. However, the Fatah Alliance, the political arm of the Iran-supported Hashd al-Shababi network, suffered a defeat in the Shiite camp. The alliance slipped from 48 to 17 mandates.
Despite its defeat, Fatah plays an important role in Iraqi domestic politics. Their militias have over 160,000 fighters, even if they are officially integrated into the regular armed forces. In addition, she could enter into an alliance with the pro-Iranian alliance of former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who made a surprising comeback with 33 seats.
After his victory, al-Sadr claims the formation of a government for himself. However, his demand for a “majority government” with other leading blocs – and thus possibly excluding powerful Shiite actors like Fatah – could lead to considerable tensions.
Opponents of the USA and Iran
The former militia leader rejects any foreign influence in Iraq. He is known for both his hostility to the US and his protest against the growing Iranian influence in Iraq.
At the moment, the risk of “escalation and clashes” in Iraq is very high, said expert Hamdi Malik from the Washington Institute for Middle East Policy. After the early elections on October 10, supporters of Fatah had repeatedly protested against alleged electoral fraud. In early November, the incumbent Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi narrowly escaped a drone attack on his residence. At the same time, several hundred supporters of pro-Iranian groups demonstrated in Baghdad against the election result. Some burned his portrait and called him a “criminal”.