Simon Tisdall: Iraq's shock election result may be turning point for Iran
Result is blow to US, but Iran will also lose out after Iraq’s protest against rule by proxy.
The unexpectedly poor showing of Haider al-Abadi, Iraq’s prime minister, in parliamentary elections has dealt a blow to US influence in the country. It was a poor return for American backing for the Baghdad government’s drive to extirpate Islamic State and regain lost territory.
But the bigger loser may be Iran, whose allies in Iraq’s Shia militias known as the Popular Mobilisation Forces were pushed into second place by Moqtada al-Sadr, the veteran nationalist. Put simply, Sadr believes Iraqis should run Iraqi affairs – not Washington, not Tehran and not their proxies.
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WNU Editor: Moqtada al-Sadr's coalition has not won enough votes to be a majority .... they will have to look for a coalition partner. The defeat of Iraqi PM Haider al-Abadi is a disappointment for the U.S. .... his party came in third .... but he will probably become the power broker on who forms the next government. As for Iran .... their allies came in second .... which was not expected, they had expectations of being in the majority.
