Iraqi parliament speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi (left) signing the resignation papers of Sadrist MPs submitted by Hassan al-Athari, head of the Sadrist bloc (right), on June 12, 2022. Photo: Iraqi State Media
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The speaker of the Iraqi parliament approved the resignation papers submitted by the members of the Sadrist Movement on Sunday, following a letter from their leader Muqtada al-Sadr asking the MPs of his bloc to resign from the parliament earlier that day.
In a letter seen by Rudaw English, Sadr asked Hassan al-Athari, head of the Sadrist bloc, to hand in the resignation of the bloc’s 73 MPs to the speaker of the parliament, after he told the MPs on Thursday to gather their papers in preparation of a withdrawal from the parliament.
A video published by Iraqi state media soon after Sadr’s letter was sent depicted Athari handing in the resignation papers to Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi, with the latter signing the documents and approving the withdrawal of the Sadrist MPs.
“This step is a sacrifice from me for the homeland and the people, to liberate them from the unknown fate, just as we have made sacrifices in the past for Iraq’s freedom, sovereignty, security, unity, and stability,” the letter from Sadr read.
The Shiite cleric also announced his separation from his partners in the Save the Homeland Alliance, thanking them for their “nationality and steadiness.”
The Save the Homeland Alliance was a tripartite alliance between the Sadrist Movement, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and the Sunni Sovereignty Alliance, of which Halbousi is a key member, who had been seeking to create a national majority government.
Minutes before Sadr’s letter was made public, Sadr made a phone call to KDP leader Masoud Barzani, to discuss the “latest developments” in Iraq’s political process, according to a statement from Barzani Headquarters, without providing specific details about the call.
Sadr also thanked his cousin Mohammad Jaafar al-Sadr, who was the alliance’s candidate for Iraq’s premiership, announced by the tripartite alliance in March, alongside the nomination of the KDP’s Reber Ahmed for the Iraqi presidency.
Halbousi commented on Sadr's decision in a tweet, stating that he was "reluctantly" accepting the resignations, adding that they made "sincere" efforts to discourage the Shiite cleric from the step.
The development comes as Iraq continues to be shrouded in political instability with the country yet to form its next government a staggering eight months following the October elections. Sadr's attempts to form a national majority government have been opposed by the Iran-backed Shiite parliamentary alliance Coordination Framework, who insists on forming a more traditional government based on political consensus.
Updated at 9:08 pm with Halbousi's tweet
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