BAGHDAD (AP) – Dozens of lawmakers who make up the largest bloc in the Iraqi parliament resigned on Sunday amid prolonged political stalemate, plunging the divided nation into political uncertainty.
The 73 members of the bloc of the powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr have resigned at his request to protest the continuing political stalemate eight months after the general election.
Parliament Speaker Mohamed Halbusi accepted their resignation.
Al-Sadr, an independent leader remembered for leading a revolt against US forces after the 2003 invasion, emerged victorious in the October election.
The election took place a few months earlier than expected, in response to mass protests that erupted in late 2019, and saw tens of thousands of rallies against endemic corruption, poor services and unemployment.
The vote brought victory to powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who won 73 of 329 seats in parliament, and was a blow to his Iranian-backed Shiite rivals, who lost about two-thirds of their seats and rejected the results.
Al-Sadr intends to form, along with his allies, a majority government that excludes them. But he failed to get enough members of parliament to get the two-thirds majority needed to elect Iraq’s next president – a necessary step before appointing the next prime minister and electing a cabinet.
Spokesman Halbusi later tweeted that he “reluctantly” accepted the resignations based on al-Sadr’s wishes and after a sincere effort to dissuade him from the move. “On behalf of the country and the people, he decided to continue with this decision,” he wrote.
It was not immediately clear how the resignation of the largest bloc in parliament would develop. A veteran Iraqi politician has expressed concern that resignations could lead to chaos in the country.
Under Iraqi law, if a seat in parliament becomes vacant, the candidate who receives the second highest number of votes in the constituency will replace him.
This would benefit al-Sadr’s opponents in the so-called Coordination Framework, a coalition led by Iranian-backed Shiite parties and their allies – something al-Sadr is unlikely to accept.
There are already fears that stalemate and tensions could boil down to street protests by al-Sadr supporters, turning into violence between them and rival armed Shiite militias.
Al-Sadr, one of Iraq’s most influential political leaders with many followers, has repeatedly hinted at the capabilities of his militia, Sarai Salam, which recently opened its doors to recruits in the provinces of Babylon and Diyala.
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