The office of Iraqi leader Mr. Muqtada al-Sadr announced the formation of central committees. The statement read: "Based on the directives of His Eminence, Leader Mr. Muqtada al-Sadr (may God grant him strength), it has been decided to form central committees consisting of various components." A close associate of al-Sadr mentioned that he directed a return to the grassroots by engaging with them during various occasions. Observers interpreted this step as a preparation for a gradual return of the leader of the "Sadrist Movement" to the political scene.
Al-Sadr has set a 12-point roadmap for the leaders of the "movement" to communicate with the grassroots following the success of initiatives that demonstrated their commitment to the Gaza relief directives, which were perceived as a significant success by Sadrists and their supporters. According to a post on the "X" platform by a close associate of al-Sadr known as the "Minister of the Leader," it was stated that "in line with al-Sadr’s directives regarding the necessity of communicating with the grassroots, he has instructed to engage with them and called for establishing (complaint numbers) aside from governmental and political ones, as well as 'leading prayers in mosques at prayer times.'"
Al-Sadr's directives included "organizing educational sessions and facilitating the opening of educational courses, and emphasizing the role of youth and the emerging generation in community uplift and integration from a religious, doctrinal, and social perspective, and not otherwise." Al-Sadr stressed the importance of considering the economic and political situation of the grassroots and not putting those tasked with communication in awkward positions.
Al-Sadr has not commented, nor have his close leaders, on whether he will participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections, for which no final date has been agreed upon, while there are recurring reports of unannounced communication between the leader of the "Sadrist Movement," Muqtada al-Sadr, and the leader of the "State of Law Coalition," Nouri al-Maliki.
While observers and political forces seemed to believe that al-Sadr has been occupied over the past two years since his withdrawal from the parliament in 2022 with restructuring his popular power, he has repeatedly criticized the political class but maintained a largely neutral stance towards the current Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and his government. He has also not withdrawn his cadres affiliated with the "movement" from governmental positions.
### Concerns Arising from His Return
Al-Sadr’s recent directives have started to resonate across various political circles; they come amid political movements preparing for early elections at the end of this year according to the government program or as per their scheduled date at the end of next year. Sunni and Kurdish forces believe that al-Sadr's return to the political scene is sufficient to achieve balance within the Shiite political space after the "Coordination Framework" has shown a tendency to consolidate its influence further in governmental institutions.
Conversely, Shiite forces are divided concerning al-Sadr's return as he is a strong competitor, especially after they absorbed the 73 seats he won in the elections, which have been redistributed among others.
