An image of Iraq’s top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.

:: Sabah al-Saedi, an official in the Sairoon Alliance that is part of the Reform and Construction Bloc, said he was “officially” informed that top Shiite cleric Ali al-Sistani refuses five of the proposed names for the premiership, including Haider al-Abadi.

Saedi said that Sistani informed the Iranian negotiator in a meeting in Najaf that Haider al-Abadi, Nouri al-Maliki, Hadi al-Amiri, Falih Alfayyadh and Tariq Najm “have no luck” in holding a premiership post in the next Iraqi cabinet.

Sistani had previously voiced the importance of selecting a prime minister who is characterized with “strength and decisiveness” and called for forming a cabinet that’s different than its predecessors.

Saedi also said that the Sairoon bloc which is led by Muqtada al-Sadr does not support Abadi for a second term, adding that there were other candidates for the post.

The Sairoon Alliance and the Fatah alliance, which is led by Hadi al-Amiri, had both called on Abadi to resign.