Populist Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, once a mercurial outlaw wanted dead or alive during the U.S. occupation, rose to become a political kingmaker and Iraq's most powerful figure.
But even with his unmatched influence, Sadr could not end a prolonged stalemate over forming a government, prompting him to tell his Sadrist bloc in parliament to resign in June.
