- WINEP's Phillip Smyth on Iranian militias in Iraq’s parliament
From Al-Monitor: “If Haider al-Abadi retains the Iraqi premiership, he will have done so with Iran’s blessing.
Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr met with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and the leader of the pro-Iran Fatah bloc over the weekend as negotiations intensify to form a new government following recent parliamentary elections. Sadr’s Sairoon Alliance won the most seats but he cannot become prime minister as he did not personally run. "We agreed to work together and with other parties to expedite the process of forming a new Iraqi government … capable of providing to its citizens services, security and economic prosperity,” Abadi said at a joint press conference on Saturday.
Sadr separately met Sunday with Fatah leader Hadi al-Amiri, whose coalition came in second. “The process of government formation must be a national decision and importantly, must include the participation of all the winning blocs,” Sadr’s office said in a statement after the meeting.
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Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Sairoon Coalition is seeking to choose Iraq's new prime minister after winning this weekend's parliamentary elections in most Shiite provinces. Sadr himself did not run but said on Monday that his coalition is looking to form a technocratic government. Dhia Asadi, the head of the political wing of Sadr’s movement, said that Sairoon has the right to nominate the prime minister and form the government. Sadr has historically been hostile to outside powers operating in Iraq, including the United States and Iran. Read More
The preliminary results of the Iraqi elections are out, indicating a victory for the Sadrist movement and the PMU coalition.
Iraqis went to the polls Saturday but in lower numbers than the past, reflecting disillusionment with a political elite they blame for years of corruption and mismanagement that enabled the rise of Islamic State. - Wall Street Journal
No sooner had polls closed in Iraq’s Kurdish city of Sulaimaniya than anger at an unexpected sweep for its maligned dominant party boiled over. Gunfire between rival militias quickly erupted. - Reuters
Bilal Wahab writes: The elections come at the end of four tough years for Iraq, with the Islamic State seizing a third of the country in 2014 and the Kurds making a strong push for independence last September. Despite the turmoil, Kurdish-Arab violence has been minimal, and the numerous victors of the war against IS are all hoping to turn their battlefield triumph into votes. - Washington Institute
Michael Rubin | Washington Examiner
If Iraq is to succeed, it is important to take a deep breath and celebrate that Iraq may now have its fifth successful transfer of power — in a region where many other leaders aspire to rule for life. That’s good for Iraq, good for the broader region, good for the US, and a notable juxtaposition to the dictatorship suffered by Iranians.
- WINEP’s Michael Knights: Focus on long-term goals in Iraq
Fourteen years after Muqtada al-Sadr’s militias fought American troops, the United States is preparing to work hand in hand with the charismatic Shiite cleric and his movement, hoping to find common cause in curtailing Iran’s influence in the wake of an upset Iraqi election. - Associated Press
Michael Knights writes: Whatever the headlines, the United States should feel neither disappointed by nor fearful of the results thus far. A stronger public endorsement of Haider al-Abadi's moderate, progressive vision for Iraq would have been reassuring for the United States and other Western allies of Iraq, but certain realities must be borne in mind. - Washington Institute