A political bloc led by Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr secured the most seats in the Iraqi parliamentary elections on Saturday, the country’s election commission said. Al-Sadr’s coalition, called Saairun, won 54 of the 329 seats in the Council of Representatives.

The elections took place on May 12. The Fatah bloc led by Hadi al-Amiri, who has close relations with Iran, finished second with 47 seats. The internationally favoured Nasr Coalition led by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi won just 42 seats, Al Jazeera reported.

Sadr cannot become prime minister since he did not contest the elections, but will now have a strong say in negotiations to form the new government, Reuters reported. The agency described Sadr as a “long-time adversary of the United States who also opposes Iranian influence in Iraq”.

Al-Sadr’s alliance includes communists and secularists. It has been extremely opposed to any foreign interference in Iraq, whether by the United States or Iran, the daily said. However, Iran has declared it would not allow Sadr to come to power, Al Jazeera said.

The alliance has said it would help the poor and rebuild schools and hospitals that were destroyed by the war against the Islamic State group. “Your vote is an honour for us,” Sadr said in a tweet after the results, Reuters reported. “We will not disappoint you.”

However, it is unclear whether Sadr will be able to cobble together a larger coalition to secure a majority of at least 165 seats in the 329-member Council of Representatives. The new government has to be formed within 90 days under Iraqi law.