No (Sistani) Edict Supporting Electoral Lists

The office of the Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani denied issuing any edict to support the religious electoral list at the expense of other small and secular lists. The office said any edict should bear Sistani's stamp. Meanwhile, Mohammed Hussein al-Hakim, Sistani son, assured that his father called for staying out of politics. He asked the people to participate in the elections but did not urge them to vote for a certain list. (Ahmed Chalabi, head of the Iraqi National Congress, is a Shia leader running on a secular platform in next week's parliamentary elections.)