Sunni and Kurdish allies of Muqtada al-Sadr, a Shiite cleric who is the leader of one of Iraq’s most powerful parties, are yet to respond to his request to leave parliament.
Sadr on Thursday has asked each of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Sunni Sovereignty Alliance to finally take a stance on dissolving the parliament or withdrawing from it.
While the Sovereignty Alliance, led by Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi, has not issued a formal position on Sadr’s request, the KDP said that a joint decision must be taken on the matter.
KDP Spokesman Mahmoud Mohammed said that dissolving the Iraqi Parliament is a joint decision that should be taken by the political forces and parties in Iraq.
Speaking to reporters about Sadr’s call for his Kurdish and Sunni allies to work to dissolve parliament and hold early elections, Mohammed said that no dialogue has been conducted on this issue yet.
“We prefer that such problems be solved through dialogue to reach a joint decision,” said Mohammed.
He pointed out that forming the next federal government and addressing the problems is the way to “end the current situation.”
“We have a special committee which plays its role. Such topics should be addressed through meetings so that decisions are made unanimously,” he said.
Mohammed reiterated his party’s position that they are ready for snap elections, as requested by Sadr, “but with a consensus and its results should be accepted.”
Earlier, Salih Mohammad al-Iraqi, who runs a Twitter account named "the leader's advisor" and is widely believed to be Sadr's mouthpiece, had announced that the Sadrist Movement categorically rejects returning to parliament.
Sadrists have held dozens of protests since the results of the vote were announced in October.
Recently, they stormed the parliament building and staged sit-ins there, and later they stormed the Republican Palace.
The protests turned violent late last month after the Sadrist Movement’s militia group clashed with armed groups close to the Coordination Framework.
