Middle East News
Shiite cleric: Political impasse causes Iraqi "suffering"
Jul 30, 2010, 14:09 GMT
Karbala, Iraq - An influential Shiite cleric warned Friday that the political stalemate causing a delay in forming a new Iraqi government was hurting ordinary citizens who need basic services.
'It reflects that the politicians responsible are unable to manage the crisis in order to end the suffering of Iraqis,' Ahmed al-Safi told thousands of people gathered at the Imam Hussein mosque in Karbala during the Friday sermon.
Al-Safi, a confidant of the revered religious leader Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, said the Iraqi population is frustrated.
Iraqis suffer from power cuts, which last up to 20 hours a day in some areas - just as the country's needs spike in the summer, as temperatures hit 50 degrees celsius.
Iraq's power crisis has led some citizens to reach their breaking point, with violent demonstrations leaving two dead and dozens injured.
More than four months have passed since Iraq went to the polls this year, in a vote seen as a test of the country's stability ahead of a planned withdrawal of United States combat troops next month.
The new parliament has held only one session since the election, which lasted just 20 minutes. An attempt to hold a second session earlier this week failed.
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