Iraq's al-Sadr says next government will be 'inclusive'

BAGHDAD: Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, whose coalition won the largest number of seats in Iraq's parliamentary elections, says the next government will be "inclusive."

The May 12 vote did not produce a single bloc with a majority, raising the prospect of weeks or even months of negotiations to agree on a government.

Speaking late Saturday after talks with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi - their first postelection meeting - al-Sadr said no one will be excluded from the next government, without elaborating.

Al-Sadr, whose followers fought U.S. forces in Iraq following the 2003 invasion, won 54 of the chamber's 329 seats. Al-Abadi's "Victory" bloc finished third with 42 seats in a surprisingly poor showing.