An electoral ticket backed by the influential Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has emerged as the early frontrunner in Iraq's elections, according to preliminary results released yesterday, dealing a significant blow to the re-election campaign of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.
If the results hold, Sadr, a strident critic of the United States who commands a militia that fought US troops during the occupation of Iraq, could be in pole position to determine Iraq's next leader. Sadr did not run in the election but holds sway over the electoral ticket that has defied predictions by amassing the largest number of votes across 10 of country's 18 provinces.
Sadr's coalition, called Sairoon, won by a large margin in the capital, Baghdad, which accounts for the largest number of seats in Iraq's 329-seat parliament. A ticket led by the commander of a Shia militia close to Iran came in second. Abadi's coalition, which had been forecast to win and was the choice of the US, came in fifth in the capital and was running third overall.
The final official results were expected today, after which a long process of allotting seats in the legislature will begin, followed by members electing a president and a prime minister.
Sadr's surprise early lead sets up the prospect of Iraq's Government being headed by someone both hostile to the United States and opposed to Iran's spreading influence in the country. Sadr has recently campaigned against corruption and can summon millions into the streets to protest policies he opposes.
