Sistani Calls for Wide Participation

The Shia cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has called on Iraqis to participate widely in the elections so as not to lose an historic opportunity. He has not endorsed any alliance. In a declaration issued by his office, Sistani said that this election is as important as the previous one, and that all Iraqis should vote for the alliances they believe will represent their interests in the next parliament. Sistani's representative in Karbala, Sheikh Abdul Mahdi al-Karbalee, told hundreds of worshipers at the Imam al-Hussein holy shrine that the Marjaiya (the Shia religious leadership) urged the people to participate in the elections and critically evaluate the lists.