Hawzah News Agency- Speaking in his Friday sermon in Baghdad, Ayatollah Seyyed Yassin Mousavi, the capital’s Friday prayer leader and a prominent professor at the Najaf Ashraf Seminary, said Iraq’s political process continues to face serious dysfunction, most visibly in the absence of a genuine framework of “government and opposition.”
Ayatollah Mousavi said political science is based on the existence of a ruling authority that administers state affairs and an opposition that monitors performance, corrects policy deviations, and, when necessary, enables a peaceful and constitutional transfer of power.
“If this model is properly implemented, it can correct mistakes and reform policies, and even replace an inefficient government through legal and constitutional means,” he said, adding that while this model is well established in political theory and practice elsewhere, Iraq’s political reality remains far removed from it.
Referring to developments following the 2003 invasion, the Baghdad Friday prayer leader said Iraq’s political process initially emerged as an “occupation-era governance structure,” with state institutions formed under the direct supervision of US forces.
He noted that a turning point came when Iraq’s supreme religious authority intervened and insisted on drafting a constitution based on the will of the people. “That constitution defined the identity of the nation and its fundamental principles and laid the groundwork for a national government that should have been built on clear constitutional foundations,” he said.
Ayatollah Mousavi recalled the period of widespread violence and terrorism that coincided with what was described as political opposition, stressing that the Iraqi people paid an enormous price in blood to defeat extremist projects, whether under the banner of al-Qaeda or the Daesh terrorist group.
“After the defeat of terrorism, we were expected to enter a phase of reconstruction and state-building,” he said. “Instead, we found ourselves facing a new and dangerous crisis.”
He sharply criticized Iraq’s political currents, saying the country has not, in practice, been governed by parties with coherent national programs—whether Islamic or secular—but by individuals operating under the names of parties.
“Parties were created to serve individuals, not individuals to serve national programs. This is the very root of the problem,” he said.
The cleric warned that the most serious threat facing Iraq today is the widening gap between the government and the people, an issue repeatedly highlighted by the supreme religious authority.
“This separation stems from a relentless struggle to remain in power and exploit its privileges, to the point where responsibility is transformed from a duty into political spoils,” he said.
Addressing the process of selecting a prime minister, Ayatollah Mousavi said Iraq’s political scene is once again being reproduced along the same flawed lines. “No candidate is put forward on the basis of competence or a national project. The sole criterion is the preservation of personal interests and the satisfaction of the United States,” he said.
He stressed that economic and security pressures exerted by Washington can never justify surrender if there is genuine national will. “Foreign pressure does not excuse abandoning sovereignty,” he added.
Comparing Iraq’s experience with that of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Baghdad Friday prayer leader said Iran has endured decades of severe sanctions yet succeeded in building a strong state in economic, military, and technological fields.
“Meanwhile, we still import our most basic needs,” he said. “The difference is that there is a system there that respects itself and its people.”
Ayatollah Mousavi said weak political performance has also undermined Iraq’s international standing, to the extent that Iraqi citizens are not treated with due respect even when traveling abroad. “This is the result of the absence of a real state and deeply rooted institutions,” he said.
He emphasized that the Iraqi nation has repeatedly demonstrated patience and resilience, from the era of dictatorship to civil wars and the fight against terrorism. “This is a great nation, capable of sacrifice for its homeland, but it needs honest and committed leadership that truly believes in its people,” he said.
The cleric also criticized official rhetoric about “respecting the will of the people,” saying election results are often manipulated through political coalitions rather than reflecting a genuine popular mandate. “When the people are effectively excluded from decision-making, talk of respecting their will becomes meaningless,” he said.
Concluding his sermon, Ayatollah Mousavi categorically rejected any project or agreement that undermines Iraq’s sovereignty, including large-scale investment schemes that hand over national land and strategic decisions to foreign actors.
“Iraq is not a spoil of war,” he said. “Those who are incapable of bearing the responsibility of governance should openly admit it. Turning government into a transaction is a political disgrace.”
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