FILE PHOTO: Iraqi Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr speaks during a news conference with Iraqi politician Ammar al-Hakim, leader of the Hikma Current, in Najaf, Iraq May 17, 2018. REUTERS/Alaa al-Marjani/File Photo
May 20, 2018
BAGHDAD, Iraq (Reuters) – Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, whose Sairoon political bloc was declared the winner of Iraq’s parliamentary election on Saturday, met on Sunday with Hadi al-Amiri, leader of the pro-Iran Al-Fatih bloc, a statement from Sadr’s office said.
The Al-Fatih bloc came second. One of the most powerful figures in Iraq, Amiri heads an umbrella of paramilitary groups, and has maintained close ties with Iran for decades.
Sadr himself cannot become prime minister because he did not run in the election, though his bloc’s victory puts him in a position to have a strong say in negotiations.
(Reporting by Raya Jalabi; Editing by Dale Hudson)
