Important: The statement of the Supreme Religious Authority about the current conditions in Iraq.

In Friday’s Sermon held at the Imam al-Hussayn’s (p) Holy Shrine on 23rd Rabi' Thani 1441 AH corresponding to December 20, 2019, Sheikh Abd al-Mahdi al-Karbala'i, representative and spokesperson for the Supreme Religious Authority read out a statement issued by the office of His eminence al-Sistani in Najaf. Stating:

Dear brothers and sisters, I will read for you the statement we have received from the office of his Eminence Sayed al-Sistani in Najaf:

In the name of Allah the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,

The country is still living in difficult and worrisome conditions, as different groups of citizens continue to participate in peaceful demonstrations and sit-ins demanding reform, while some of its actors are subjected to assassination, kidnapping and threat, and in return many government departments and educational institutions are forced to close their doors without a necessity. Moreover, the property of some citizens is subject to burning and vandalism, and many complain about the weakness of the state's prestige and some rebel against the laws and regulations regulating public life in the country without deterrence or impediment.

And we pointed out in a previous sermon that the people are the source of powers and from which they derive their legitimacy - as stipulated by the constitution - and accordingly, the nearest and safest way to get out of the current crisis and avoiding going to the unknown, chaos, or internal fighting - God forbid - is to return to the people by holding early elections, after legislating a fair law for it, forming an independent commission to conduct it, and setting up an effective monitoring mechanism at all stages of its work that allows the restoration of confidence in the electoral process.

However, it is noticeable that the approval of the election law has been hindered to this day and the dispute over some of its main articles has been aggravated. Thus, we stress once again the need to expedite its approval to be in harmony with the aspirations of the voters, bringing them closer to their representatives, and nurturing the inviolability of their votes and not be allowed to circumvent them. Passing a law not in this capacity will not help bypassing the current crisis.

And if the election law is approved in an acceptable manner, the role of intellectual elites and national competencies willing to political work to organize their ranks and prepare their programs for the advancement of the country and solve its worsening problems within the framework of studied practical plans comes in order to be ready to present them to the voters at the time of the elections, and education is provided to compete in them not on the basis of regional, tribal, or sectarian affiliations of the candidates, but rather in view of their competence and qualifications and what programs they have applicable to cross the country into a better future, in the hope that the next parliament and the government that emanates from it will play the required role In making the necessary reforms to get rid of the consequences of corruption and quotas and the absence of social justice in the previous period.

In conclusion, we hope that the formation of the new government, which must be a non-dialectical government, responds to the requirements of the current stage, and be able to restore state prestige and calm conditions, and hold the upcoming elections in a calm atmosphere far from the side effects of money or illegal weapons and from external interference. And God grants success.