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Subscriptions help us deliver original coverage of the region's most important issues.The story: Sadrist Movement leader Muqtada Al-Sadr’s Kurdish and Sunni allies have rejected his call on them to also leave the legislature and demand the dissolution of the parliament. Instead, they are seemingly joining Sadr’s Shiite rivals in urging the formation of a government ahead of fresh elections.
Meanwhile, Iraq’s chief justice has called for reform geared to prevent delays in government formation and to further clarify powers relevant to the dissolution of parliaments. This follows the Federal Supreme Court’s dismissal of a Sadrist petition for the legislature to be dissolved.
The coverage: The head of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), Masoud Barzani, received Sunni Parliament Speaker Mohammed Al-Halbousi and Sovereignty Alliance chief Khamis Al-Khanjar in Erbil on Sept. 11.
The meeting in Erbil was held days after Sadr called on his Kurdish and Sunni allies as well as independent MPs to also resign from the parliament.
Ex-premier Nouri Al-Maliki (2006-14)—a senior Coordination Framework figure and long-time foe of Sadr—on Sept. 11 echoed the views expressed by Barzani, Halbousi and Khanjar. Maliki argued that a new government must be formed as a first step towards a solution to the political crisis.
The day before, on Sept. 10, Chief Justice Faiq Zidan argued in favor of a review of the constitutional provisions relevant to the political deadlock.
The context/analysis: The Sadrist Movement won the highest number of seats among the blocs which participated in Iraq’s Oct. 2021 parliamentary elections. Sadr subsequently maneuvered to form a “national majority” government with his Kurdish and Sunni allies, sidelining the Coordination Framework parties. After the failure of the gambit, Sadr ordered all 73 Sadrist MPs to resign in June.
Amid the ongoing contention, Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi has repeatedly emphasized that “dialogue is the only way out of the current political crisis.”
The future: The Coordination Framework may renew its efforts to convene the parliament on the back of the recent declarations by Sadr’s allies and the Federal Supreme Court ruling. But such a move could aggravate Sadr, who may respond by directing his loyalists to the streets yet again.