Iraq’s government has been deadlocked since cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s party won the largest share of seats in parliamentary elections in October, but not enough to secure a majority government. He refused to negotiate with Iranian-backed Shiite rivals to form a consensus government. In July, his supporters stormed parliament to prevent al-Sadr’s opponents from forming a government and have staged a sit-in outside the building for more than four weeks. His bloc has also resigned from parliament. It is not the first time al-Sadr, who has called for early elections and the dissolution of parliament, has announced his retirement from politics — and many dismissed the latest move as another bluff to gain more leverage over his rivals in the middle worsening of the impasse. The cleric has used the tactic in previous cases as well, when political developments did not go his way. But many worry it’s a dangerous game and worry how it will affect Iraq’s fragile political climate. On Monday, hundreds tore down the concrete barriers outside the Republican Palace with ropes and breached the palace gates. Many rushed into the palace’s opulent salons and marble halls, a key meeting point for Iraqi heads of state and foreign dignitaries. Iraq’s military quickly announced a city-wide curfew on Monday in hopes of calming rising tensions and preventing clashes. He called on the cleric’s supporters to withdraw immediately from the heavily fortified government zone and exercise restraint “to prevent clashes or the spilling of Iraqi blood,” according to a statement. “Security forces reaffirm their responsibility to protect government institutions, international missions, public and private property,” the statement said. The cleric announced his retirement from politics in a tweet and ordered the closure of his party offices. Religious and cultural institutions will remain open. Al-Sadr’s decision on Monday appeared to be a reaction to the departure of Shiite spiritual leader Ayatollah Qadim al-Khairi, who counts many of al-Sadr’s supporters as followers. The day before, al-Haeri announced that he would step down as a religious authority and called on his followers to support Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, rather than the Shiite spiritual center in Iraq’s holy city of Najaf. The move was a blow to al-Sadr. In his statement he said that al-Khairi’s resignation “was not of his own volition”.
