Members of Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's political bloc announced Sunday that the group would not compete as a party in coming local elections but would endorse candidates.
Al-Sadr bloc won't run as party, will endorse candidates
The decision lets the Sadrists play a role in fall elections while skirting a government demand that their militia be dissolved.
June 16, 2008 at 2:47AM
The decision appeared aimed at allowing the Sadrists to play a role in the election despite a government threat to bar the bloc from fielding candidates if it did not first dissolve its militia, the Mahdi Army.
The endorsements "will not be for Sadrists alone, but for individuals, chieftains, people with popularity and talents to serve and offer public services to the people," said Sadrist parliament member Haidar Fakrildeen. "We will support them. We will advise the people to vote for them."
The Al-Sadr movement, with small exceptions, did not participate in provincial elections in January 2005. In the coming round, scheduled for autumn, it had been expected to do well and perhaps best its main Shiite political rivals, the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council and the Dawa Party.
Sadrists, however, have charged that a spring military campaign in Basra, led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of the Dawa Party, had been an effort to damage their movement's ability to compete successfully in the fall vote.
The Iraqi parliament has yet to pass an electoral law, and the stalemate could delay balloting.
The parliament is divided on whether candidates should compete individually or on closed party lists, and over whether the law should ban parties with militias from competing. Al-Maliki has been pushing for the ban in what has been interpreted as a move against Al-Sadr.
Al-Sadr, who is believed to be in Iran, hasn't been seen in Iraq for months.
AMARA SURROUNDED IN HUNT FOR SADRISTS
Iraqi forces continued to surround Amara, the capital of southern Maysan Province, which is dominated by the Al-Sadr movement.
The move, which began Saturday, appeared aimed at asserting government authority over the area and hunting down Al-Sadr loyalists wanted by police.
Maj. Gen. Tariq Abdul Wahab Jasim told tribal sheiks that wanted individuals who had not killed or hurt anyone would receive amnesty if they surrendered by Wednesday. Amara residents have until that date to hand in explosives and heavy weapons, according to the government.
FOUR WEAPONS CACHES SEIZED IN BAGHDAD
In a weekend blitz that U.S. military officials said "severely degrades" the capability of Iraqi insurgents, U.S. and Iraq troops seized one "huge" and three smaller weapons and munitions caches in Baghdad.
The cache described as huge by Lt. Col. Steve Stover was found Saturday in the west Rashid part of the capital. It contained 90 Soviet-made rockets, several mortars made in Iran, mines, TNT and numerous other explosives, Stover said.
At the same site, Iraqi soldiers found a small arsenal of related devices, such as 500 pounds of ball bearings and digital timers, which can be used for the insurgents' homemade bombs.
Earlier in the day, three separate smaller caches were discovered by both the Iraqi army and civilians, Stover said.
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