Although he shaped almost every facet of today's elections, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani has no plans to vote, one of his representatives said yesterday. The cleric leads this nation's 15 million Shiite Muslims, 60 percent of the population, and he may be the most powerful man in Iraq. But Sistani was born in Mashhad, Iran, he is an Iranian citizen, and, according to the rules of the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq, he is not eligible to vote, the representative said. "I assure you Sayed Sistani won't vote in this election, because he doesn't meet all the required conditions as spelled out by the IECI," said Sayed Murtdha al Kashmiri, Sistani's representative in London. "He will not vote, but at the same time, Sayed Sistani obliges every Iraqi to vote in the elections."Sistani's name has been invoked frequently throughout the campaign. Although he is not a candidate, his picture appears on campaign posters for the major Shiite slate, the United Iraqi Alliance. He also blessed that list, positioning it to win the majority of seats. And he issued a fatwa, a religious decree, that declared voting a religious duty. In Najaf, where the reclusive religious leader lives, many residents said they hoped he would vote, or at least leave home to visit a polling center today. They said they believed that his presence would energize the process and ensure that victory for the United Iraqi Alliance. "It is expected that Sayed Sistani will go out to the polling centers because the grand ayatollah urged and motivated this election. He supported the Iraqis to move forward," said Abdel Amir Kadhim Jawad, 51. "And whether he is an Iraqi or Iran citizen, his word is first and final." Kashmiri, however, said that Sistani didn't want his advocacy of the process to be interpreted as political maneuvering. "I know that Sistani doesn't seek any political position of any kind," he said.