Sadr, Kurdish delegation press for forming new government soon

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr held a meeting Sunday with a Kurdish delegation, under PM Nechirvan Barzani, on a wide array of domestic issues.

During their meeting, Sadr and the visiting delegation discussed “the latest political developments in Iraq and stressed the need for forming a new cabinet as soon as possible,” Iraqi privately-owned website Alghad Press quoted Sadr’s office as saying in a statement.

“The upcoming government should be parental and patriotic, and stand at the same distance from all parties in Iraq,” the statement read.

The new cabinet, according to Sadr, “should focus on meeting the aspirations of the Iraqi people, provide them with services and improve the situation in the country.”

Al-Sadr’s Sairoon coalition won 54 parliamentary seats in the May 12 parliamentary polls, followed by an al-Hashd al-Shaabi-linked coalition (47 seats) and Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi’s Victory bloc (42 seats), according to the election commission.

The vote results, however, have aroused widespread fraud allegations.

Al-Sadr’s coalition did not win the majority needed to form a government alone but will play a primary role in selecting the next prime minister.

Al-Sadr said he hoped to establish a “technocrat” cabinet far removed from narrow sectarian biases.

Known for his hostile approach to the U.S., al-Sadr is one of few Shia leaders who don’t have close ties with Iran.