UPDATED: Sadr movement focuses on election change in meeting with Gorran
SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region — A Sadr delegation headed by Muqtada al-Sadr’s nephew, Ahmed Sadr, visited Gorran party’s main headquarters in the city of Sulaimani, where the visiting group stressed its desire to correct the political process in Iraq, while Gorran said it would study Sadr’s projects and respond “officially.”
“Muqtada al-Sadr has two clear projects which are about post Mosul liberation and reforms in the elections,” said Shekh Sabah Saadi, the Sadr delegation spokesperson at a joint press conference after the meeting.
“They are intended to correct the establishments and are for the sake of the political process which is based on a false principle. We should rectify this, ourselves. We don’t have any other projects outside these.”
Kawa Muhammed, head of Gorran’s faction in the Iraqi parliament, also spoke at the joint-press conference.
According to Muhammed, the Sadr Movement presented two projects regarding the election process in Iraq, including the election commission and the election law — and also a project that concerns Iraq after the defeat of ISIS.
“We, as Gorran Movement, will further study the projects and then we will respond back officially,” Mohammed said.
KNN TV, Gorran’s official media, quoted Muhammed as saying that so long as Kurdistan Region is part of Iraq, they are for a citizen-based state.
He added that they are more enthusiastic than any other party for holding independence referendum. He criticized the fact though that the call for referendum happens at a time that the Kurdish parliament has been closed since 2015.
The Sadr delegation was received by a high Gorran delegation.
The Sadr movement is an opposition in the Iraqi government, and is in disagreement with Shiites especially Nouri al-Maliki and the incumbent Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. Hence, they are seeking new alliances — an opportunity in the Kurdistan Region.
The Sadr delegation earlier this week had met with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and Kurdistan’s Islamic Union in Erbil. They are due to meet with the Islamic Group of Kurdistan later.
“Our project is for a strong Iraq. We need the support of the political parties of the Kurdistan Region for its implementation,” Sabah Saadi said in a joint press conference with PUK on Monday.
Sadr has long been calling for changes to the election law and the electoral commission whose president is from the KDP. Supporters of Sadr have, on his call, marched in the streets of Baghdad many times demanding such government reforms.
Sadr’s party believes the change is in the interests of the Iraqi people.
The next provincial elections are due to be held in September. Given the ongoing displacement and fight against ISIS, some Iraqi politicians have said they may not take place until 2018.
Correction: In the fourth paragraph, a Twitter statement from @Gorran_Change was replaced with a statement by Kawa Muhammed and report by a Gorran media firm.
“Muqtada al-Sadr has two clear projects which are about post Mosul liberation and reforms in the elections,” said Shekh Sabah Saadi, the Sadr delegation spokesperson at a joint press conference after the meeting.
“They are intended to correct the establishments and are for the sake of the political process which is based on a false principle. We should rectify this, ourselves. We don’t have any other projects outside these.”
Kawa Muhammed, head of Gorran’s faction in the Iraqi parliament, also spoke at the joint-press conference.
According to Muhammed, the Sadr Movement presented two projects regarding the election process in Iraq, including the election commission and the election law — and also a project that concerns Iraq after the defeat of ISIS.
“We, as Gorran Movement, will further study the projects and then we will respond back officially,” Mohammed said.
KNN TV, Gorran’s official media, quoted Muhammed as saying that so long as Kurdistan Region is part of Iraq, they are for a citizen-based state.
He added that they are more enthusiastic than any other party for holding independence referendum. He criticized the fact though that the call for referendum happens at a time that the Kurdish parliament has been closed since 2015.
The Sadr delegation was received by a high Gorran delegation.
The Sadr movement is an opposition in the Iraqi government, and is in disagreement with Shiites especially Nouri al-Maliki and the incumbent Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi. Hence, they are seeking new alliances — an opportunity in the Kurdistan Region.
The Sadr delegation earlier this week had met with the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and Kurdistan’s Islamic Union in Erbil. They are due to meet with the Islamic Group of Kurdistan later.
“Our project is for a strong Iraq. We need the support of the political parties of the Kurdistan Region for its implementation,” Sabah Saadi said in a joint press conference with PUK on Monday.
Sadr has long been calling for changes to the election law and the electoral commission whose president is from the KDP. Supporters of Sadr have, on his call, marched in the streets of Baghdad many times demanding such government reforms.
Sadr’s party believes the change is in the interests of the Iraqi people.
The next provincial elections are due to be held in September. Given the ongoing displacement and fight against ISIS, some Iraqi politicians have said they may not take place until 2018.
Correction: In the fourth paragraph, a Twitter statement from @Gorran_Change was replaced with a statement by Kawa Muhammed and report by a Gorran media firm.