Sadr pursues a wise strategy to secure the support of all Iraqi political factions

Tabnak – Despite initial suggestions that the victory of Moqtada al-Sadr’s faction in the Iraqi elections would lead to a fragmented political structure, he has so far shown an open approach toward cooperating with other major political camps. In this vein, Sadr and current Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi have announced the formation of a new coalition.

According to the local media, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr have announced an alliance between their political parties.

"We announce a cross-sectarian, cross-ethnic alliance to speed up forming the next government and to agree on common points that guarantee the interests of the Iraqi people," said Sadr during a news conference in Najaf on Saturday. Sadr further called for a wider alliance including all components of the country's society to form an inclusive government.

The alliance between Abadi's Victory Alliance and Sadr's Saeroon is the latest in a series of deals among Iraqi political leaders. Abadi and Sadr both called on the leaders of other blocs to meet and "agree on the coming steps" in order to sooner form an inclusive Iraqi government.

"I affirm that this alliance is not in contrast to any other alliances either of the two lists have previously entered into with other blocs, rather, it flows in the same direction and same principles," said Abadi. On Jun 12, Sadr and head of the country’s Badr Organization Hadi al-Amiri announced a political alliance between their parties.

Sadr's Sairoon bloc won 54 out of 329 seats in the Iraqi parliament. The Fatah (Conquest) alliance, led by Badr Organization Secretary General Hadi al-Ameri, and Abadi's Nasr (Victory) coalition finished second and third with 47 and 42 seats, respectively.

The announcement came a few days after Abadi ordered the creation of a high-powered commission to look into the alleged irregularities in the parliamentary elections.

An official statement said a recent cabinet meeting chaired by the premier had named the Iraqi anti-graft chief as the head of the commission. The statement further suggested that hackers may have manipulated the election results. At the time, Sadr rejected calls for an election rerun, warning Iraqis about breaking out of a possible “civil war.”

Over 7,000 candidates contested the 329 seats in the parliament that will choose a new president, prime minister and government in Iraq. This is the fourth such polls since the 2003 US invasion that led to a sharp rise in sectarian tensions and ensuing terror-related violence in the Arab country.

The next prime minister will face the huge task of rebuilding a country shattered by the war against Daesh and the US invasion.