This is the second time of the week that supporters of the Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr have managed to occupy the Parliament on a background of political blocking of the country.
Le Monde with AFP
In Iraq, the political impasse continues and tensions accumulate. For the second time of the week, supporters of the influential Shiite political leader Moqtada Sadr invaded the Iraqi Parliament on Saturday 30 July after entering the ultra -seconded Green Zone of Baghdad, which houses government institutions and embassies. A photographer from the France-Presse agency (AFP) who was with the demonstrators entered them in the Parliament.
Iraqi security forces initially tried to repel the demonstrators, making use of tear gas. Without success: as Wednesday, already, the supporters of Moqtada Sadr finally penetrated the enclosure of the Parliament to reject the candidate to the post of Prime Minister presented by the opponents of Mr. Sadr.
Political blocking is total in Iraq, which is still awaiting the appointment of a new president and a Prime Minister, ten months after the legislative elections in October 2021. King and troublemaker of the political scene, the leader Shiite Moqtada Sadr launched a maximum pressure campaign against his opponents.
“All the people are with you, Sayyed Moqtada!” Charted the protesters, using his title of descendant of the Prophet of Islam. The demonstrators denounce the candidacy for the post of Prime Minister of Mohammed Chia Al-Soudani, tried close to the former head of government Nouri Al-Maliki, historic enemy of Mr. Sadr. “We are there for a reform revolution (…) to make the people victorious and Sayyed Moqtada Sadr the leader,” said Haydar al-Lami, a demonstrator.
“Revolution”
Coming from the political seraglio, Mr. Sudani is the candidate for the coordination framework, an alliance of pro-Iran Shiite factions bringing together the formation of former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and the representatives of the Hachd al-Chaabi, ex- paramilitary integrated into the regular forces.
If he has today decided to maintain pressure on his opponents, Mr. Sadr had left them the task of forming a government, having resigned in June his 73 deputies: they represented the first force within Parliament of 329 deputies.
“We would have liked them to wait for the government to assess their performance, give it a chance if it is good, or challenge it if it was not the case,” recently deplored in an interview with BBC Arabic antenna The Shiite politician Ammar al-Hakim, ally of the coordination framework.
“The Sadrist current has a problem with the idea that it is the coordination framework that will form a government. If it is not Mr. Sudani, if a second or third candidate is designated, we can Also wait for objections, “he said.
During the night of Friday to Saturday, Sadr supporters ransacked the Al-Daawa party offices (“the call”) of Maliki, as well as the premises of the Shiite al-Hikma party, the Training of politician Ammar al-Hakim, which is part of the coordination framework, according to a security source.