Cleric calls for referendum as prime minister of Iraq

The cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who heads a Shiite religious party that won 39 seats in parliamentary elections on March 7, could be key in efforts to form a coalition government.

His proposal for a referendum was made through a statement on its website, and spread from Iran, where he lived while performing clerical studies.

A referendum would be against the Iraqi constitution, under whose precepts, the president selects a prime minister designate, the largest bloc in parliament, to form a government within 30 days. Lawmakers should vote later by the cabinet, which requires approval by majority vote.

precise intentions of al-Sadr were unclear, but his proposal might constitute an effort to win popular support at a time when Iraqis are increasingly frustrated at the prospect of spending weeks or even months of political wrangling and uncertainty before they can1000form a government.

“The people must decide Who should be the next prime minister, “said an aide to al-Sadr, who recently visited Iran, where the cleric has spoken of forming a new government. The consultant asked to remain anonymous because of the sensitivity of the talks.

Meanwhile, the post-election strategy of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki suggested that it is prepared for a long and bitter battle to stay in power, even if that turns away from the Sunni community in the country and puts you at risk of new sectarian clashes.

Iraqi leader for all sorts of legal maneuvers to prevent the victory of his main opponent, former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, whose secular and nationalist bloc won the largest number of parliamentary seats in the elections on 7 March and presumably would have the right to form a new government.

Even if al-Maliki remains the legal procedures, you risk seriously damaging all efforts to alleviate sectarian tensions, which had begun to bear fruit after three years increased the number of U.S. troops stationed in the country.

A resurgence of serious violent acts could complicate U.S. plans to withdraw its forces from Iraq by the end of next year.

The conflict has drawn attention to the judicial process in Iraq, which some say is far from independent and is often subject to external pressures. And in a democracy as young, with little institutional knowledge or precedents, the Constitution and laws passed by parliament are not always clear.

No issue is potentially more explosive than the attempts of a committee to disqualify some winning candidates by their ties to the regime of Saddam Hussein. Sunnis believe the committee, headed by a Shiite militia linked to Hezbollah operating in Lebanon, there is nothing but a group whose mission is to get them out of government.

Although the Maliki does not directly control the committee has clearly benefited from his actions and has done little to stop them. At least four candidates that the committee seeks to disqualify are in the list of Allawi”s party, which includes many Sunnis and won significant support from voters that minority religious branch.

If a court disqualifies a candidate enough to tilt the contest in favor of al-Maliki, this would be a grave provocation to the Sunnis.