Cleric Sadr meets Iraq PM Abadi, hinting at coalition

BAGHDAD: Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi met with Moqtada al-Sadr on Saturday, less than 24 hours after the Shi’ite cleric’s bloc was declared winner of Iraq’s parliamentary election, the clearest sign yet they could work together to form a coalition.

“During our meeting, we agreed to work together and with other parties to expedite the process of forming a new Iraqi government,” Abadi said at a joint press conference.“It will be a strong government, capable of providing to its citizens services, security and economic prosperity.

“Sadr, a long-time adversary of the United States who also opposes Iranian influence in Iraq, cannot become prime minister because he did not run in the election.However, his bloc’s victory puts him in a position to have a strong say in negotiations. His Sairoon electoral list captured 54 parliamentary seats, 12 more than Abadi’s. “Our door is open to anyone as long as they want to build the nation, and that it be an Iraqi decision,” Sadr said. A bloc led by Hadi al-Amiri, one of the most powerful figures in Iraq, came in second.