Is Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani adopting a dual stance in dealing with Iraqi political issues? Does he have announced as well as unannounced views? What stand did he take vis-à-vis last month's Iraqi elections? Was he as neutral as the civil democracy (which he is still calling for) requires or has he taken the side of one party, contradicting his announced democratic principles? These are the questions at the forefront of the Iraqi political scene that have been raised within political spheres and among media outlets, behind the scenes and publicly.
To reach an objective answer to these questions, it is important to review the historical course of Sistani's unwavering position toward the Iraqi political process since 2003. In short, Sistani has not taken a partisan political stance, but has instead been content to demand that leaders abide by the will of the people through democratic mechanisms. He urged citizens to actively and consciously participate in the elections. He announced no other stance in election aftermaths.
