Attention in Iraq has turned to the city of Najaf where the country’s top Shiite religious authority, Ali al-Sistani, is expected to address Shiite tensions during his Friday prayer sermon.
Tensions have been high among Shiite, mainly pro-Iran, parties that lost the recent parliamentary elections. Supporters of the losing groups have staged rallies in several Iraqi cities in protest against the results.
The leaders of the losing groups have dismissed the elections results as a scam, stoking tensions with the Sadrist movement, of cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, that has claimed victory.
The accusations between the rival Shiites over the results reflect the mounting tensions that have been simmering under the surface between the losing Fatah alliance and the Sadrist movement.
Several Shiite sides fear these tensions could devolve into violence, so hopes are high that Sistani’s upcoming sermon could help contain the situation. Iran is also expected to exert pressure that should lead to a settlement between the rivals.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi government is in no way willing to concede any of the accomplishments it achieved in holding the early polls. The international community has attested to their success.
Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi appeared to dismiss the objection over the results, saying on Monday: “To some sides, politics has been reduced to nothing more than extortion, lies, conflict and deception.”
Also on Monday, President Barham Salih said that objections to the results are a constitutional and legal right.
He warned, however, against undermining the country’s security.
“It is necessary to unite national ranks, prioritize the country’s higher interests and meet the aspirations of the people,” he said in a statement on the occasion of the Prophet Mohammed’s birthday.
“Respecting the will of the people, the constitutional process and the peaceful developments is a national duty,” he stressed.
Objecting to the results of the polls must take place through legal and peaceful means without violating public security and properties and the safety of the country, he urged.
