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Sadrist Current: Our Share Includes Ten Ministries | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat – The leader of the Sadrist Current in Iraq, Muqtada al Sadr, who is currently residing in Iran, is expected to reveal what one leading member of the current described as the “bargaining [offers]” made to the Sadrist Current by the State of Law Coalition headed by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki, in exchange for supporting al Maliki’s nomination for premiership.

The senior member of the Sadrist current, who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat on condition of anonymity, said that “during a television interview that will be broadcast within days on one of the satellite channels [Muqtada al Sadr] will reveal the scale of bargaining [offers] made to the current in exchange for him (Nouri al Maliki) keeping or taking the prime minister position.” One of the lists tried to offer the Sadrist Current ten ministries in exchange for nominating [a member of] that list to assume the position of prime minister. The source said, “In any case, the [Sadrist] current obtained ten ministries and haggling will not help.”

On his part, a source from the Islamic Supreme Council headed by Ammar al Hakim stressed that the National Iraqi Alliance does not want a prime minister “who provokes the neighboring [states].” The source explained that the dialogue between the National Iraqi Alliance, which is also headed by al Hakim, and the State of Law Coalition headed by Nouri al Maliki, is still in its preliminary stages.

Abbas al Khafaji, a media official from the office of Humam Hammoudi, a leading figure in the Islamic Supreme Council, told Asharq Al-Awsat that “there has been agreement on a specific mechanism through which the next prime minister will be selected, as a set of conditions have been put in place, the most important of which are the election of the person will not provoke neighboring states, [the person] will be accepted by all political parties in the country, competent and will not act independently.”