ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Sadrist bloc, the main winner of the latest parliamentary elections in Iraq, announced on Saturday that it would suspend its participation in talks with political parties regarding the formation of the next government, adding that it will also boycott the legislature’s meeting on Monday to elect a new president. Hassan al-Athari, head of the bloc, told reporters on Saturday that Muqtada al-Sadr, leader of the Sadrist movement, has decided to “freeze talks with the political parties regarding the formation of the next government until further notice.” He also asked all 73 members of the Sadrist bloc not to attend the Monday parliamentary meeting to vote on the next president of the country. Iraq held snap elections on October 10. The speaker of parliament was elected last month following a deal between Kurdistan Region’s ruling KDP, Sadrist bloc and most Sunnis. The legislature is scheduled to meet on February 7 to elect a new president for the country. The KDP has fielded Hoshyar Zebari, who has previously held several positions in Baghdad, and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) has nominated the incumbent Iraqi President Barham Salih for the position. According to a long-standing customary agreement, the three main leadership positions in the Iraqi government are divided among Kurds, Shiites, and Sunnis. Kurds get the presidency, Shiites get the premiership, and Sunnis get the parliamentary speaker. Among Kurds, the PUK has held on to the presidency position since 2005. Sadr called on members of his bloc on Friday to not vote for the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s (KDP) candidate for the Iraqi presidency if he does not meet necessary requirements. “If the candidate of our ally, the [Kurdistan] Democratic Party, for the President of the Republic does not meet all the conditions … I call on the representatives [MPs] of reform to not vote for him,” the prominent Shiite cleric said in a tweet. Zebari told Iraqi state media on Friday that his party's alliance with Sadr is "strong and coherent."
