The coordinating framework in Iraq confirmed on Monday the continuation of dialogues with the political forces to form the government, according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA).

In a statement, the coordinating framework said that it held its regular meeting today to discuss the latest developments in the political arena, stressing that "it will continue to take the necessary steps to address the political crisis and to continue dialogues with all political forces in order to complete the constitutional duties and form a national government."

"The coordination framework hopes to proceed with all political forces, but it respects the decision of the Sadrist bloc to resign from the House of Representatives," the statement said, noting that it "will continue working with everyone in a way that guarantees broad participation, achieves the aspirations and hopes of the Iraqi people in terms of security, stability and decent life, and enhances Iraq's role and position in the region and the world."

Muhammad Jaafar Al-Sadr, Iraq's ambassador to Britain and the son of the prominent religious authority, the martyr Muhammad Baqir Al-Sadr, announced the withdrawal of his candidacy for the prime minister position. 

On the other hand, the Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, Muhammad Al-Halbousi, said that "there will be other understandings after the resignation of the Sadrist bloc, " which he described as a "sacrifice," noting that the political blockage in Iraq will end.

Iraqi MPs from Moqtada Sadr's bloc resign

Muqtada Al-Sadr, the leader of Iraq's Sadrist movement, directed the head of the Sadrist bloc, Hassan Al-Adhari, to submit the resignations of the Sadrist bloc MPs to the Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, and ordered the closure of affiliated institutions currently in operation, with some exceptions.

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Al-Sadr said that this step is considered a sacrifice for the sake of the homeland and the Iraqi people to save them from an unknown fate.

"We have reluctantly accepted the requests of our brothers and sisters, representatives of the Sadr bloc, to resign," Parliament Speaker Mohammed Al-Halbussi said on Twitter after receiving the resignation letters from the 73 lawmakers.

Al Mayadeen correspondent in Iraq reported that "there are multiple legal options regarding how to deal with the resignation of Sadrist bloc members," stressing that "there is a legal option which confirms the need for parliament to vote on the resignations and another which says that the speaker has the jurisdiction in this context."

Al-Sadr had urged, on Thursday, the MPs from his bloc -- the biggest in parliament -- to ready resignation papers, in a bid, he said, to break the parliamentary logjam and create space for the establishment of a new government.

"If the survival of the Sadrist bloc is an obstacle to the formation of the government, then all representatives of the bloc are ready to resign from parliament," Al-Sadr said on Thursday in a televised statement.

Iraqi lawmakers have already exceeded all deadlines for setting up a new government set down in the constitution, prolonging the country's political crisis.

If the parliamentary impasse cannot be broken, new elections may be called, but that would necessitate lawmakers agreeing to dissolve Parliament.

Al-Sadr had announced, on the 15th of last May,  that his parliamentary bloc had not succeeded in forming a national majority government, referring to its transformation into "the opposition seats, and giving way to other parliamentary blocs to form a government."

On the 31st of last March, al-Sadr announced his withdrawal with his bloc from negotiations to elect the president of the republic and from forming a government, and to allow the coordination framework to negotiate with political forces in this regard.