BAGHDAD: Iraq’s top cleric said on Friday he was not taking part in talks on the country’s new premier, as his supporters joined apprehensive youths still protesting in the capital despite widening intimidation campaigns.
Young demonstrators have thronged Baghdad and the south since October, accusing the entrenched political elite of corruption and incompetence.
Last week, they brought down embattled prime minister Adel Abdel Mahdi, who resigned after Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani intervened following a crackdown on protesters that has left around 430 people dead.
This Friday, Sistani said the religious leadership, or “marjaiyah,” was not involved in talks on a new PM.
“The marjaiyah is not party to any discussions on this and has no role in any way whatsoever,” he said, in a sermon read by his representative in Karbala.
He did, however, urge that a new premier be selected within the 15-day window outlined in the constitution and with no “foreign interference.”
Iraq’s main political blocs have been debating candidates for the premiership but have yet to name anyone.
Two key foreign officials have attended the talks, according to a senior political source — Major General Qasem Soleimani and Mohammad Kawtharany.
NEWCOMERS AT PROTESTS
On Thursday, demonstrators were rattled by the sudden arrival of several thousand Hashed supporters in Baghdad’s Tahrir (Liberation) Square, the epicentre of the protests.
In an apparent show of force, the newcomers waved sticks and national flags.
The Hashed’s political arm, the Fatah bloc, had been one of the prime minister’s main backers throughout the crisis but changed its tune after Sistani’s call for parliament to drop its support for Abdel Mahdi.
The Hashed began publicly supporting the protests and Sistani on their social media pages — while repeatedly claiming there were “infiltrators” within the crowds.
Demonstrators have expressed doubts about the Hashed’s support, saying Thursday’s display was an attempt to “ruin” their non-partisan rallies.
Apprehensive about a repetition on Friday, protesters erected new checkpoints around the square overnight and searched rucksacks of young demonstrators seeking to join.
There were more newcomers on Friday, this time hundreds of clerics and officials from shrines in Baghdad, Karbala, Najaf and other cities.
With robed clerics in white turbans at their head, their procession circled through Tahrir.
“The shaikhs and clerics from Karbala took part in these protests, as well as convoys from the religious shrines,” said Fadel Oz, an official from the revered Karbala shrine.
“This is in support of our brothers protesting in Tahrir.”
One protester said their presence made it less likely the rallies would devolve into clashes.
“The religious shrines’ involvement grants legitimacy and numbers to the protests,” said Thaer Istayfi, 41. — AFP
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