A major Iraqi political alliance led by influential Cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has suspended talks with other factions for the formation of the next government, and announced a boycott of next week’s parliamentary session to elect a new president.

Head of Sadr's parliamentary faction, Hassan al-Adhari, told a news conference in the capital Baghdad on Saturday that all negotiations meant to establish the future government have been suspended indefinitely.

He highlighted that no member of the Sadr faction would attend Monday's parliamentary session to elect the president.

Adhari, however, did not explain why the bloc has taken such a drastic political move.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi later reacted to the announcement, saying that, “No matter how serious political divisions are, there should be no differences of opinion about the fundamentals of government formation.”

Kadhimi underlined that all political groups should prioritize national interests and act accordingly.

(PUKNOW/ABNA)