Sadrist Movement may support Maliki – Obaidi

BAGHDAD /Iraqi News The Sadrist movement may support Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s attempt to be elected for a second term in office, the movement’s Speaker Sheikh Salah al-Obaidi said on Thursday. “If Maliki gets more than 50 percent of votes in the referendum, it seems that we may support him” al-Obaidi told Iraqi News. He noted that the movement will support any other nominee who is able to get the same number of votes. The Sadrist Movement will run a referendum among Sadrists on Friday and Saturday (April 2 and 3, 2010) to select the movement’s candidate for the position of Iraq’s Prime Minister. The referendum will introduce five names to voters: Ibrahim al-Jaafari, Iyad Allawi, Adil Abdilmahdi, Jaafar Mohammed al-Sadr, and Nouri al-Maliki. The referendum sheet offers a sixth option for voters where they can propose another name of their choosing. MH (P)/SR 3