Sistani signals opposition to renewing Maliki’s term
Iraqi Shiite cleric Ali al-Sistani has drawn red lines about the candidates for the premiership and demanded that a government quickly be formed, before the scheduled date next month.
![56894453AK001_demo BAGHDAD, IRAQ - FEBRUARY 23 : An Iraqi Shiite man carries a picture of Iraq's powerful Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani as he takes part in a protest against the bombing of a Shiite holy shrine on February 23, 2006 in the Karradah district in Baghdad, Iraq. Protests against the bombing of the Askariya golden dome Shiite holy shrine continue in Baghdad and other Shiite cities around the country for the second day. The Askariya golden-dome shrine, which hosts the tombs of Imam Ali al-Hadi and](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/almpics/2014/07/56917797.jpg/56917797.jpg?h=c2c5b897&itok=IPl-NRLl)
Since the start of the political process in Iraq, Shiite cleric Ali al-Sistani has adopted the approach of providing overall direction without interfering in the political decision-making of the Iraqi government. This behavior is due to his religious and political views, which prevent him from political work because he is a cleric and an important religious reference for the Shiite community.
Since the political deterioration in Iraq two years ago, Sistani has made every effort to keep Iraq from sliding into the abyss. But the faulty policies of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his determination to press forward despite warnings from Sistani have put the country in major crisis from which it cannot get out soon.