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Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called for support for the current wave of protests, which saw his supporters sit-in at the Iraqi parliament.
Supporters of the Sadrist movement continue their open sit-in in the House of Representatives, following storming it on Saturday once morest the background of their opposition to the nomination of a pro-Iranian politician for prime minister.
The opponents of the Sadrist movement warn of an attempt to “overturn the people, the state and its institutions.”
But al-Sadr praised what he called a “spontaneous revolution in the Green Zone” as an opportunity to bring regarding “radical change.”
In a statement on his Twitter account, he said that these developments represented “a great opportunity to fundamentally change the political system, the constitution and the elections.”
Saleh Muhammad al-Iraqi, who is close to the leader of the Sadrist movement, warned the sit-in in the parliament once morest “infiltrators”, stressing the need to “reject all acts of violence, sabotage and bloodshed.”
On the other hand, the Organizing Committee for Supporting Legitimacy and Preserving State Institutions, affiliated to the Coordination Framework of Shiite Political Forces, issued a statement calling on the Iraqi people to “demonstrate peacefully to defend their state and the future of their children.”
The committee warned that recent developments “warn of planning a suspicious coup, hijacking the state, insulting its constitutional institutions and canceling the democratic process in it.”
The coordinating framework had held a meeting on Sunday evening, in which it discussed the storming of the Green Zone by followers of the Sadrist movement and their sit-in in Parliament and its repercussions.
The sit-in by al-Sadr’s supporters came in protest once morest the nomination of the coordinating framework of Muhammad Shiaa al-Sudani – considered by some to be close to former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and a supporter of Iran – for the position of prime minister.
“one space”
On the other hand, the Iraqi Ministry of Defense denied reports on social media that the commander of the 11th Infantry Division announced that he was standing with the demonstrators.
The ministry stressed that the Iraqi army is at the service of the people and “stands at the same distance from the Iraqis.” The ministry added that the duty of the security forces is to protect the demonstrators, protect public and private property, and clamp down on those it described as “infiltrators who are trying to destabilize security by exploiting the circumstances,” as it put it.
Protesters breached the heavily fortified Green Zone in the capital, Baghdad, on Saturday.
More than 120 people were injured in the recent unrest. The Iraqi Ministry of Health said regarding 100 of those injured on Saturday were civilians, in addition to 25 security personnel.
Earlier, the Speaker of Parliament, Muhammad al-Halbousi, announced the suspension of all parliament sessions until further notice.
Al-Halbousi also called on Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi to take the necessary measures to protect state institutions and the demonstrators.
Al-Halbousi called on the country’s rival politicians to hold an “urgent national meeting.”
photo released, Archyde.com
The roots of the crisis
The tension dates back to October, when Sadr’s bloc won 73 seats in the elections, making it the largest faction in the 329-seat parliament.
But talks to form a new government have stalled for months. Last month, deputies from the Sadr bloc resigned.
64 new deputies were sworn in later in June, making the “Coordination Framework” coalition, which includes a number of Shiite forces and parties, the largest in parliament.
Last week, the Coordination Framework announced the selection of Muhammad Shia’a al-Sudani as a candidate for the position of prime minister.
Al-Sadr’s supporters oppose Al-Sudani’s candidacy.
The political blockage in the country has disrupted many of the measures that Iraq needs.
The paralysis left the country without a budget for 2022, which led to the suspension of spending on much-needed infrastructure projects and the implementation of economic reforms.
Iraqis say the situation is exacerbating the lack of services and jobs even as the oil-rich country gets record oil income due to high crude prices.
Al-Kazemi’s government runs the country’s affairs until a new government is formed.
Al-Kazemi took office in 2019, in the wake of mass demonstrations protesting the difficult conditions and corruption, and led to the resignation of his predecessor, Adel Abdul-Mahdi.