Sadr expels 31 from movement over defiance of election boycott

NAJAF — Influential cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr on Sunday expelled 31 individuals from his Shiite National Movement, including nine members of its armed wing, Saraya Al-Salam, for defying his order to boycott Iraq’s Nov. 11 parliamentary elections.

According to an official document issued by Saraya Al-Salam and signed by Sadr, the individuals were dismissed for violating what the group described as “clear principles” of the movement. In a separate statement, Saraya Al-Salam said the expulsions were due to “clearly betraying the principles of the military institution” by registering as candidates on various electoral lists despite the boycott directive.

The statement called on all members of the Sadrist movement to “disown them, sever ties with them, and refrain from dealing with them under any circumstances.”

Sadr reiterated his boycott of the upcoming elections in a recent post on his personal X account, citing both religious and political reasons for the decision.

In Iraq’s October 2021 election, Sadr’s movement won 73 out of 329 seats, forming the largest bloc in Parliament. He pushed for a majority government that would exclude Iran-aligned factions, but was unable to form the necessary coalition. In protest, Sadr ordered his MPs to resign, plunging Iraq into a months-long political deadlock that ended only after a consensus government, dominated by rival Shiite groups, was formed.