A radical Shiite cleric called on his followers yesterday to end clashes with Shiite rivals so that stalled talks on a new constitution can proceed. Clashes continued for a second day after the cleric's office in Najaf was burned and four of his supporters were killed.
Following the appeal by cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, leaders of the country's political factions met in Baghdad's Green Zone to try to hammer out an agreement on the draft constitution on the final day of an extension granted on Monday night by parliament after Sunni Arabs blocked a vote on the accord accepted by Shiite and Kurdish negotiators.
However, negotiators involved in drafting the constitution warned that the eruption of violence between rival militia groups in Shiite-dominated parts of southern Iraq could affect the parliament vote.
PHOTO: AFP
Seven people have been killed and dozens wounded since late Wednesday when supporters of al-Sadr clashed with the rival Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), a powerful Shiite party led by Abdel Aziz al-Hakim.
"The Shiite clashes have come at an awkward time. It threatens today's constitutional approval as 22 MPs [members of parliament] and two Cabinet ministers are close to Sadr and if they do not vote it will be a tough call," said Kurdish constitution committee member Mahmud Othman.
"We need to unite and maintain peace as this incident can divert Iraq from the constitution to violence," President Jalal Talabani told Sadr, according to a statement from his office.
PHOTO: AP
Sadr himself, who launched two uprisings last year against US forces which left hundreds of US soldiers and his militants dead and is now a critic of the current draft constitution, appealed for calm.
"I call upon the people of Iraq ... the believers ... to preserve Muslim blood and go back home. I call upon them to maintain calm," he told reporters.
Clashes flared in Baghdad and several southern cities after fighting between Sadr's Mehdi army and the SCIRI militia Badr in Najaf killed five people on Wednesday.
The violence erupted after traders in the old city of Najaf, which houses the revered Imam Ali shrine, demonstrated against Sadr supporters who were attempting to reopen their local office which was shut down after last year's uprising. The office was gutted in Wednesday's clashes.
Within hours violence spread to Baghdad and other southern cities, including Nasiriyah and Diwaniyah where two men were killed and many wounded overnight.
In Baghdad, the Mehdi army took control of Shiite stronghold of Sadr City. Though unarmed, militiamen were seen moving on the streets with no sign of Iraqi security forces.
"The security situation has raised doubts as Sadr has always maintained that he will not agree to any constitution under the American occupation and he is also against federalism," Othman said.
Although Sadr's movement officially boycotted January's historic elections, it has about two dozen sympathizers in parliament, mostly within the ranks of the dominant Shiite United Iraqi Alliance.
The Sunni Arabs maintained their opposition to the draft charter. The charter -- which the government hopes will help stem the bloody Sunni-led insurgency -- was presented incomplete Monday with unresolved differences over crucial issues such as federalism, the role of Islam and sharing of oil wealth.
But Sunnis warned that even if the charter wins parliamentary approval, it would fail in a referendum due in October, ahead of elections in December.
The constitution fails if two-third people of any three provinces vote against it. The Sunnis are majority in Al-Anbar, Nineveh and Salaheddin.
A new online voting system aimed at boosting turnout among the Philippines’ millions of overseas workers ahead of Monday’s mid-term elections has been marked by confusion and fears of disenfranchisement. Thousands of overseas Filipino workers have already cast their ballots in the race dominated by a bitter feud between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr and his impeached vice president, Sara Duterte. While official turnout figures are not yet publicly available, data from the Philippine Commission on Elections (COMELEC) showed that at least 134,000 of the 1.22 million registered overseas voters have signed up for the new online system, which opened on April 13. However,
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
ALLIES: Calling Putin his ‘old friend,’ Xi said Beijing stood alongside Russia ‘in the face of the international counter-current of unilateralism and hegemonic bullying’ Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) yesterday was in Moscow for a state visit ahead of the Kremlin’s grand Victory Day celebrations, as Ukraine accused Russia’s army of launching air strikes just hours into a supposed truce. More than 20 foreign leaders were in Russia to attend a vast military parade today marking 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, taking place three years into Russia’s offensive in Ukraine. Putin ordered troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and has marshaled the memory of Soviet victory against Nazi Germany to justify his campaign and rally society behind the offensive,
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
RSS