BAGHDAD – Supporters of Iraq’s influential Shiite cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr stormed Baghdad’s Green Zone administrative area again on Wednesday, as the Iraqi parliament convened to discuss the resignation of its speaker.
Journalists for the Associated Press observed supporters of Sadr waving flags as security agents surrounded them.
Al-group Sadr’s received the most votes in the October legislative elections, but he has been unable to establish a majority government. In late July, his supporters stormed the parliament, preventing opponents from Iran-backed Shiite groupings from establishing the government.
With the accompanying demonstrations, fights with police personnel, counter-rallies, and a sit-in outside parliament, the process of forming a government has come to a halt.
Since the election, Al-Sadr has been in a power struggle with his Iran-backed competitors, demanding for the dissolution of parliament and early elections.
Source: Arab News