ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Popular Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is yet to make a decision about his movement’s participation in the next Iraqi elections, a source from the movement told The New Region.

“Reports speaking of the Sadrist movement’s intention to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections are inaccurate, as of now, the leader of the movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, has not decided on the matter, nor has he informed any of those close to him of a decision,” a source from the Sadrist movement, currently rebranded as the National Shiite Movement, told The New Region.

The source added that the cleric might announce his final stance in the coming three months. 

“There has been no decision yet and there has been no communication between the Sadrists and other parties regarding the elections,” the source said.

Sadr withdrew all his MPs, who were until then considered kingmakers with 73 seats, from the Iraqi parliament in 2022, followed by his official retirement from the political process.

Despite being the largest parliamentary bloc and several protests held by his supporters in Baghdad, Sadr failed to form a government following the 2021 elections. Several attempts by the movement were blocked by the now ruling Coordination Framework’s MPs not attending the parliament and hence not meeting quorum.

Sadr at the time refused to include the Framework in his cabinet, siding with the Sunni Taqadum and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP).

However his months long attempts were to no avail, he withdrew from the parliament and the Coordination Framework named their cabinet through the State Administration Coalition.