Sadr supporters hold referendum in Iraq

Supporters of Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr went to polls on Friday in a referendum on who should the bloc back in the race for the country's premiership.

Sadr's bloc came third in the parliamentary election held on March 7. Whoever this bloc supports will have the chance of becoming Iraq's next prime minister. The Sadr movement says the referendum is not a re-run of the March parliamentary elections.

Sadr has refused to back the top vote-getters in the elections and is asking his followers to designate a prime minister of their choosing in the referendum held on Friday and Saturday.

The referendum is organized by about 40,000 Sadr supporters. It will in no way play any official role in the ultimate outcome of who gets to govern. But, it could signal just how crucial Sadr's support is for whoever assumes power in Iraq.

The movement claims the two-day nationwide vote will give all Iraqis a chance to choose a prime minister from five candidates.

The candidates present on the ballots are: incumbent Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, former Prime Minister Iyad, Maliki's predecessor Ibrahim al-Jaafari, Vice President Adel Abdel Mahdi and Jaafar al-Sadr.

Allawi's Iraqiya Party secured 91 seats in the elections only two seats more than Maliki's Rule of Law Party. None of the parties contesting the polls are close to forming a majority on their own.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=122260§ionid=351020201.