Iraq's top Shiite cleric on Sunday threw his support behind the prime minister's announcement to hold parliamentary elections ahead of schedule next year, saying the timing should not serve the interests of political groups.
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani's comments came in a statement released by his office after a meeting with UN envoy to Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert. A photo released by al-Sistani's office showed the black-turbaned cleric meeting with the UN envoy and an interpreter.
Sunday's meeting was the first public face-to-face between al-Sistani and a foreign official since the spread of coronavirus in Iraq earlier this year. The country is one of the hardest-hit by the virus in the region, with nearly 300,000 confirmed cases and more than 7,900 deaths.