Sadr supporters mass in Iraq prayer rally amid political deadlock

Baghdad, Iraq – (AFP)

Hundreds of thousands of worshippers loyal to Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr attended a Friday prayer service in Iraq’s capital, in a display of political might to revive stalled talks on government formation.

The enormous turnout came despite scorching heat and the Shiite cleric not being there in person — an indication of his status as a political heavyweight, as well as a key religious authority.

The midday prayer, on Al-Falah Avenue in Sadr City, was instead led by a Sadr ally who took aim at rivals from other Shiite factions, including a powerful ex-paramilitary network.

Sadr’s bloc won 73 seats in the October 2021 election, making it the largest faction in the 329-seat parliament.

But since the vote, talks to form a new government have stalled and the oil-rich country remains mired in a political and socioeconomic crisis, despite elevated global oil prices.

The various Shiite political factions, representing Iraq’s largest demographic, remain unable to agree on a new prime minister.

Sadr initially supported the idea of a “majority government” which would have sent his Shiite adversaries from the pro-Iran Coordination Framework into opposition.

The former militia leader then surprised many by compelling his deputies to resign from parliament in June, a move seen as seeking to pressure his rivals to fast-track the formation of a new government.