Sadr rules out striking a deal with other Shiite blocs

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Top Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ruled out the possibility of striking a deal with rival Shiite blocs in a televised address on Monday, lashing out at the "obstructing third" for preventing the Iraqi people from having a government.

Sadr blamed Iraq's politicians for having "become an example of corruption and vice, except for a few," and stated that he has no intention of conducting a deal with other Shiite blocs after the rival Coordination Framework prevented his alliance from forming the country's next government through repeated boycotts of parliamentary sessions.

The Sadrist Movement leader, visibly frustrated, once again expressed complete rejection of a consensus government and warned his foes that they will "not be safe from the roaring of the oppressed."

The speech comes a day after the cleric announced that his bloc will transition to the national opposition "for a period of no less than 30 days" after his efforts to form a national majority government were rendered futile.

He stated that his bloc will have another decision to announce should the other political parties, "including those whom we had the honor of allying with," prove unsuccessful in forming a government.

During his address, the cleric repeatedly called on Iraq to steer away from corruption, asking "how long will corruption and consensus remain the master of the situation while the people suffer and there is no helper."

Iraq's political climate continues to be mired in instability with the country's next government having yet to be formed seven months after early elections were held in October.

The inability to form a permanent government hinders the current caretaker cabinet from carrying out proper, long-term decisions to stabilize various sectors of the country, including its economy, following a clarification from Iraq's Federal Supreme Court on Sunday addressing the capabilities of the current caretaker government.

With the gap between Iraq's rivaling political blocs seemingly wider than ever, the caretaker government's inability to pass laws and address broad issues continues to have detrimental effects on the country.