[Al Arabiya] The political movement of Shiite holy man Moqtada Tateral-Sadr rejected an offer by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to release its members locked in Iraqi calabooses in exchange for their support for him to retain his post, a prominent member of the movement told Al Arabiya TV on Friday.
Bahaa al-Araji, a politician from al-Sadr's political bloc said in Al Arabiya TV's talk show "Who Will Rule Iraq" presented by Suhair al-Qaysei that the Sadrists are in favor of Iraq's Vice President and head of the National Coalition political party Adel Abdul Mehdi to be the new Iraqi prime minister.
There is an estimated 2,000 Sadrists detained in Iraqi prisons; some of them were charged with encouraging a sectarian war while others were accused of rebellion.
An alliance if brokered between al-Sadrists and Abdul Mehdi's National coalition will shift Iraq's March election's competition between the two winners, al-Maliki's State of Law bloc and Iyad's Allawi's Iraqiya List in favor of Abdul Mehdi.
Allawi came two seats ahead of al-Maliki in Iraq's last election demanding that it is his constitutional right to be the new prime minister only to change his stance when his bloc lent support to Abdul Mehdi.
Abdul Mehdi also said that he received nomination support from the Kurdish blocs as well.
Sadrists have always opposed the U.S. presence in Iraq, and were against the 2008 U.S.-Iraq security pact and see it as a prolongation of a U.S. stay in the country.
Sadrists have 30 parliamentary seats which make them attractive for other rival political party contenders to pursue them as a political ally, and to collect more votes to form majority.