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October 29, 2005
Iraq: Senior Muslim Cleric Will Back No Party in Elections
Ayatollah Ali Husaini Sistani, one of Iraq's leading Shia clerics, has announced that he will not support any one party in the upcoming parliamentary elections in Iraq, according to the BBC. The elections will be held in December, after being ratified in a referendum earlier this month.
Sheikh Abdul Mahdi al-Karbali announced the grand Ayatollah's decision in a sermon on Friday. The current ruling party, the Shia-led coalition, the United Iraqi Alliance, gained their seats in the interim government largely as a result of his support.
At a mosque in Karbala, Sheikh Karbali said: "The marja enjoins Iraqis to participate massively in the forthcoming elections, but he does not support any political group in particular."
Sistani (pictured), who is in his mid-70s is called "marja" as it means "one to be followed, or emulated". His spokesperson in his sermon castigated those who did not vote in the constitutional referendum on 15 October. Shia turnout had not been as high as expected.
Sistani was born at some point around 1930, and is the most important Shia religious leader in the country. He abides in the Shia holy city of Najaf, and there controls a faction within the Kawza Seminary. He has previously stated his belief that politics and religion should not mix. He was grateful to the US for toppling Saddam, and believes in direct elections, as these should automatically favour the majority Shia population.
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at October 29, 2005 3:28 PM
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