Hundreds of Iraqi storm the parliament in Baghdad 

Hundreds of protestors stormed the Iraqi parliament in Baghdad to voice against the nominee prime minister.

Hundreds of followers of the populist Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr burst into Iraq’s parliament on Wednesday as the country faces the longest post-election impasse. The demonstrators stormed Baghdad’s high-security Green Zone to express their displeasure with the candidate for prime minister of a competing coalition, and then they entered the Iraqi parliament while yelling obscenities, dancing, and singing. The police opened fire with tear gas in an effort to keep the protestors from breaking through the tightly guarded Green Zone’s gates, however, the protesters surged ahead and invaded parliament. The demonstrations are the newest obstacle for Iraq, which is still beset by political and economical issues despite skyrocketing energy costs worldwide. People milled about the parliament building, chanting, cheering, and waving flags of their own countries. Numerous videos and photographs of the protestors appeared on social media. There were no lawmakers present inside the parliament during the break-in of protestors. Only security personnel were present inside the structure, and they looked to have made it quite easy for the protesters to enter. The breach was accompanied by the biggest protest in Iraq since the elections in October. The choice of Mohammed al-Recent Sudani as the official candidate of the Coordination Framework alliance, which consists of Shiite parties with backing from Iran and its supporters, infuriated the demonstrators. In Baghdad’s heavily guarded Green Zone earlier on Wednesday, protesters, many of whom were adherents of a powerful cleric, broke through to voice their opposition to the choice of a prime minister candidate by Iran-backed parties. Demonstrators ripping down cement blast barricades were repelled by riot police using water cannons. The region, which is home to government institutions and foreign embassies, was breached by numerous people. As the crowd chanted, danced, and lay on tables, Iraq’s present prime minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, ordered the demonstrators to vacate the structure. “The security forces would ensure the protection of state institutions and foreign missions, and prevent any harm to security and order,” said the prime minister. However, it took commands from the Shia leader Sadr before the demonstrators’ throngs began to disperse almost two hours later. As they quietly left the legislature, the people yelled, “We obey the Sayyed,” honouring Sadr and recognising him as a progenitor of the Prophet Mohammed. “Revolution of reform, and rejection of injustice and corruption,” Sadr tweeted on Twitter, in support of the protesters. The upheaval comes after nine months of political gridlock, during which disagreements among the nation’s many political groupings hindered the formation of a new strong government. Following the election in October, Mr Sadr, a Shia cleric who seeks to end US and Iranian meddling in Iraq’s domestic affairs, declared victory for his nationalist Saeroun organisation. Building a new government coalition has subsequently proven to be impossible, however, as Mr Sadr has refused to cooperate with opponents. Mohammed al-bid Sudani’s prime minister was opposed by him and his allies because they thought he was too close to Iran. The events of Wednesday underline the fact of the numerous difficulties that Iraq is now dealing with regardless of its oil-rich reputation. Al-implied Sadr’s display of might by storming the legislature sends a message that, despite the resignation of his group, he should not be disregarded in political decision-making. Public outrage about corruption, unemployment, and the degradation of public services led to large-scale protests in 2019. Human Rights Watch estimates that the security services at the time killed hundreds of people. During 2016’s upheaval, Mr Sadr’s supporters also succeeded in breaking into another parliament. The UN mission in Iraq stated on Wednesday that protestors had the right to demonstrate as long as their acts were lawful and peaceful.