Marjaiya and the Elections

The people are happy that the Marjaiya, (Shia religious authority) headed by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, has decided not to support any electoral coalition and to leave it up to the Iraqi people to decide whom they will support. Sistani's representative in Beirut, Hamid al-Khaffaf, said the Marjaiya urged all Iraqis to participate in the elections and warned political slates against using religious figures in campaigning, including on election posters. Meanwhile, Sistani's representative in the United States and Europe, Sayyid Murtada al-Kashmiri, said Sistani never promotes a specific list at the expense of others. This would violate the Iraqi people's freedoms and choices, he said.