Al-Sadr return to politics through the gateway of provincial council elections
The Sadrist movement is returning to the Iraqi political scene after a long period of retreat, by the order of its leader Muqtada al-Sadr, through participating in the elections for the provincial councils. These elections are important for consolidating their presence, repositioning themselves, and are more connected to local issues and closer to the concerns of the citizens, as provincial councils are closer to mini local governments.
A prominent leader in the movement revealed today, Monday, the participation of the Sadrists in the upcoming provincial council elections, according to the Iraqi Kurdish agency ‘Shafaq News’. This is the first political move by the Sadrists after the withdrawal of Muqtada al-Sadr from public political life last year, following political confrontations with the coordinating framework forces that include rival Shiite factions and pro-Iran factions, which later turned into bloody conflicts.
The Iraqi agency quoted a prominent Sadrist leader, who requested anonymity, as saying, ‘The leadership of the Sadrist movement has decided to participate in the elections for the provincial councils and the electoral machines of the movement in Baghdad, central and southern cities. They have already started working secretly to complete the technical and logistical preparations.’
It added, ‘The Sadrist movement will participate in the provincial council elections through three electoral lists. There will be a list for the capital Baghdad, a list for the southern cities, and a third electoral list for the central cities.’
It clarified that ‘the mentioned lists will not necessarily bear the names or official orientations of the movement, but they will be exclusively affiliated with it.’
These developments come amid recent reports about the possibility of postponing the local elections to April of next year in order to persuade the Sadrists to participate. However, the same source indicated the existence of divisions within the coordinating framework regarding this matter, as Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq led by Qais al-Khazali and the State of Law Coalition led by Nouri al-Maliki, who were born out of the Sadrist movement in recent years after breaking away from it, refuse to postpone the elections and insist on holding them at the end of this year, even if the Sadrist movement boycotts them. Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq and the State of Law Coalition are among the most prominent Shiite adversaries of the Sadrist movement, and there are ongoing disputes and unsettled scores between these three parties for years.
The Iraqi Parliament had voted in March of last year to hold the elections for the provincial councils on November 6, 2023.
Muqtada al-Sadr has not issued any statement confirming or denying his intention to participate in the elections for the provincial councils, but he is known for his political maneuvering and surprises within his political maneuvers. He may find an opportunity in the provincial council elections to return to the political scene, adhering to the logic he always repeats, which is his attachment to the masses, his keenness to protect national interests, serve the citizens, and improve services.
The timing of announcing his return remains open to all possibilities until al-Sadr officially declares his re-engagement in the political process or continues his political retreat.”
