Demonstrators supporting the Sadrist movement in Iraq announced a sit-in inside the parliament building after storming it for the second time in three days, according to reports. Agency The official Iraqi News (INA), at a time when the “coordinating framework” called on its supporters to “demonstrate peacefully in defense of the state, its legitimacy and its institutions.”
Concurrently, the Speaker of the Iraqi Council of Representatives, Muhammad al-Halbousi, directed the Parliament Protection Force not to attack the protesters and not to harm them.
A statement by the Media Office of the Speaker of Parliament, published by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), stated that “Al-Halbousi directed the protection of Parliament not to attack or harm the demonstrators, and not to carry weapons inside Parliament, as well as directing the General Secretariat of the House of Representatives to be present in the parliament and communicate with the demonstrators.”
He added, “The Speaker of Parliament also directed the presence of Parliament’s health center staff for emergency cases.”
Al-Hurra correspondent quoted Ibrahim Al-Jabri, director of the office of the “martyr Al-Sadr” in Baghdad, declaring an “open sit-in” in the Iraqi parliament and the Green Zone after opponents of the Shiite cleric, Muqtada Al-Sadr, nominated Muhammad Al-Sudani to form a new government.
“The Frame” calls for a counter-sit-in
On the other hand, the “coordinating framework” expressed its “deep concern” about the events taking place in Baghdad, “especially the violation of constitutional institutions, the storming of the Council of Repentance and the threat to attack the judicial authority and attack official headquarters and security services.”
In a statement obtained by Al-Hurra, a copy of it, the “coordinating framework” recommended the need for restraint, calling on “the masses of the people who believe in the law, the constitution and constitutional legitimacy to demonstrate peacefully in defense of the state, its legitimacy and its institutions.”
The “coordinating framework” blamed the political parties behind this “escalation and transgression against the state.”
Supporters of al-Sadr gathered in the center of the Iraqi capital, Saturday, before storming the heavily fortified Green Zone amid strict security measures, which resulted in 60 wounded in clashes with riot police, according to figures announced by the Ministry of Health.
The demonstrators headed to the parliament headquarters, where they gathered in the courtyard of the building and the main hall, after they sat on the seats designated for representatives, in protest against the “coordinating framework” by naming a new prime minister and electing a president of the republic.
In a related context, the Minister of the Sadrist Movement, on Saturday, called on the demonstrators not to infringe on the Judicial Council after a number of protesters headed to the Council building and the Federal Court.
Saleh Muhammad al-Iraqi said in a tweet on Twitter: “If you want to convey your voice (to the Iraqi judiciary), we will not accept their assault.”
On Saturday, the Ministry of Health announced that it had received 60 different injuries from the demonstrators, who were distributed among three hospitals, stressing that its institutions will continue to mobilize to treat the wounded.
Al-Hurra correspondent said that after announcing that the demonstration had turned into an open sit-in, large numbers of demonstrators began to cross into the Green Zone towards Parliament after opening the roads leading to the fortified area where the parliament building and the headquarters of foreign embassies are located.
According to the reporter, the demonstrators set up a Hosseini mourning council at the parliament building on the first day of the month of Muharram, the beginning of the Hijri year, when Shiite Muslims commemorate Ashura.
Iraq is experiencing a political stalemate ten months after the early legislative elections that took place in October 2021, it is still without a new president of the republic, and has not assigned a new president to form the government yet.
In the name of God
If you want to convey your voice (to the Iraqi judiciary), we will not accept the attack on them…#Judicial_integrity_our_demand#Independence_of_the_judicial_our_demand
Commander’s Minister
Saleh Mohammed Al Iraqi— Minister of Commander – Saleh Muhammad Al-Iraqi (@salih_m_iraqi) July 30, 2022
The position of prime minister in Iraq is traditionally attributed to a Shiite figure who is chosen by consensus among Shiite political forces. But Muqtada al-Sadr, who has a great influence on the political scene in Iraq, wanted to change this rule after his current won 73 seats in the October legislative elections. Thus, he won the largest number of seats in Parliament, and he wanted his current to be the one who nominates the prime minister of a “majority” government along with his Kurdish and Sunni allies.