Sadr withdraws from Iraqi elections

Populist cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has withdrawn from Iraq's October elections, removing his support for the government.
Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr (R) drives a car as he joins anti-government demonstrators gathering in the holy city of Najaf, Iraq, Oct. 29, 2019.
Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr (R) drives a car as he joins anti-government demonstrators gathering in the holy city of Najaf, Iraq, Oct. 29, 2019. - Haidar Hamdani/AFP via Getty Images
Al Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East
Hassan Al-Saeed
@Hassan_aISaeed

The head of Iraq's Sadrist movement, populist cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, announced July 15 that he will not participate in the early elections scheduled for Oct. 10.

Soon after, hundreds of Sadrists gathered in various cities in southern Iraq and burned their electoral cards in a symbolic protest showing that they also will not participate in the elections.

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