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Shiite Cleric Ponders Running to Succeed Iraqi PM

Iraqi Shiite cleric Qassem Taei.
Iraqi Shiite cleric Qassem Taei.
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Shiite Cleric Ponders Running to Succeed Iraqi PM

Iraqi Shiite cleric Qassem Taei.
Iraqi Shiite cleric Qassem Taei.

Iraqi Shiite cleric Qassem Taei announced that he is considering running for head of the Iraqi government to succeed the outgoing Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi.

A statement released by Taei’s office said that the cleric “received many requests by the demonstrators to run for office, especially by demonstrators in the Dhi Qar governorate.”

Dhi Qar protesters demonstrated in support of the cleric with some voicing their confidence in his ability to pull the country out of its current crisis.

“Taie has a comprehensive program that includes eliminating corruption and bringing all the corrupt from 2003 to date to trial, no matter how influential they are,” the statement said, adding that although Taei has not yet decided his position on this nomination, he is studying the matter seriously.

Abdul Mahdi resigned in December following massive anti-government protests.

He is serving in a caretaker capacity until a new government is formed.

Deep differences remain between political forces and demonstrators over appointing the next prime minister.

Protesters insist on the departure and accountability of all political elites accused of corruption and waste of state funds and who have governed since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003.

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Druze Group ‘Rijal al-Karama’ Rejects Disarmament, Calls for Weapons Regulation in Sweida

Mourners attend funeral of those killed in clashes in southern Sweida town on Saturday (AFP)
Mourners attend funeral of those killed in clashes in southern Sweida town on Saturday (AFP)
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Druze Group ‘Rijal al-Karama’ Rejects Disarmament, Calls for Weapons Regulation in Sweida

Mourners attend funeral of those killed in clashes in southern Sweida town on Saturday (AFP)
Mourners attend funeral of those killed in clashes in southern Sweida town on Saturday (AFP)

A leading Druze movement said on Sunday that the issue of surrendering arms remains unresolved, even as local leaders in southern Syria announced the official start of implementing a peace agreement brokered by Druze clerics and dignitaries in Sweida province.

Bassem Abu Fakhr, spokesman for the “Rijal al-Karama” movement, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the group's weapons were solely for defense and had never been used offensively.

“The matter of handing over weapons falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defense, and no final decision has been made yet,” Abu Fakhr said. “Our arms have never posed a threat to any party. We have not attacked anyone, and our weapons exist to protect our land and honor.”

He added that while the group does not object to regulating the presence of weapons, full surrender was out of the question.

“We have no issue with organizing arms under state authority, provided they remain within the province’s administrative boundaries and under state supervision,” he said. “But the matter of weapons remains unresolved.”

Formed in 2013, Rijal al-Karama was established to protect the Druze community and prevent its youth from being conscripted into fighting for any side in Syria’s protracted conflict, which erupted after mass protests against then President Bashar al-Assad.

The group continues to operate as an independent local defense force, separate from state security institutions.

Abu Fakhr told Asharq Al-Awsat that a high-level meeting held last Thursday in Sweida—attended by senior Druze spiritual leaders Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri and Sheikh Hammoud al-Hanawi, along with local dignitaries and community members—resulted in an agreement to reactivate the police and judicial police under the Ministry of Interior.

Abu Fakhr also denied recent reports claiming that Druze clerics, tribal leaders, and faction commanders had agreed to fully surrender their weapons to the state.

“This issue has not been resolved by all parties in Sweida,” he said, reiterating the group’s position: “We have no objection to organizing the weapons under state oversight, as long as they remain within the administrative boundaries of the province, but not to surrendering them.”

The statement underscores continuing tensions over the role of armed groups in Sweida, a province that has largely remained outside the control of both government and opposition forces throughout Syria’s civil war.