The Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has announced his complete withdrawal from Iraqi politics. He justified this on Twitter on Monday with the political deadlock in the country, which has not had a fully functioning government since the parliamentary election last October. The cleric accused Shiite politicians rivalling him of ignoring his calls for reforms.

Al-Sadr announced he would close his political offices, but some of his religious and cultural institutions would remain open. The withdrawal announcement sparked fears in Iraq that the ongoing protests by Sadr supporters could escalate further.

Muqtada Al-Sadr had emerged from the parliamentary election as the strongest force with his Sairun list. However, he failed to form a government excluding the pro-Iran bloc. After a stalemate in parliament, Al-Sadr and his 73 Sairun MPs withdrew in June and called for new elections. At the same time, the cleric called on his supporters to stage mass protests that culminated in the occupation of parliament.

The mobilisation of Sadr supporters is seen as a message to his rivals that there will be no new government "without his consent". This is the longest period in Iraq's history without a government in office.