Iraqi protesters storm parliament for second time in a week

Supporters of Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr occupy parliament to prevent the nomination of a new PM.

Published On 30 Jul 202230 Jul 2022

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Updated: 

7 minutes ago

Protesters have once again breached Iraq’s parliament in a show of support for influential Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr, leaving at least 125 people injured and escalating a political stand-off.

Saturday’s protest comes days after protesters stormed the legislative body and suspended a session to nominate a new prime minister.

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Thousands of supporters rallied by Sadr and his Sadrist Movement tore down concrete barriers and entered the Green Zone, which houses government departments and foreign missions, before breaking into parliament.

“All the people are with you Sayyid Muqtada,” the protesters chanted, using his title as a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad.

The scenes followed similar protests on Wednesday, although this time at least 125 people – including demonstrators and police – were wounded, according to a health ministry statement.

Sadr’s supporters threw stones and police fired teargas and stun grenades.

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“We are calling for a government free from corruption … and those are the demands of the people,” one protester, Abu Foad, said among crowds of protesters carrying placards with Sadr’s photograph and national flags.

The media office of Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi had issued a statement calling on security officers to guarantee the safety of state institutions.

Al Jazeera’s Mahmoud Abdelwahed, reporting from Baghdad, said that on Wednesday, when a large crowd occupied the parliament building, security forces had let the large crowds enter the perimeter relatively unhindered.

Demonstrators oppose the candidacy of Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, a former minister and ex-provincial governor, who is the pro-Iran Coordination Framework’s pick for the premier’s post.

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A vote heralding al-Sudani to the post of prime minister was scheduled to take place on Saturday, but the session was suspended after Wednesday’s events.

Abdelwahed said al-Sadr’s supporters had gathered again because they did not trust parliament not to go ahead with the vote. “They say that the fact the session has been suspended does not mean that voting cannot go on behind closed doors,” he said.

Al-Sadr’s bloc emerged from elections in October as the biggest parliamentary faction but still fell far short of a majority.

Ten months on, the deadlock persists over the establishment of a new government – the longest period since the 2003 i