– I hereby announce my final withdrawal, Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr wrote on Twitter Monday morning.
He adds that the Shiite leader will no longer interfere in political affairs.
The announcement was soon met with turmoil from Sadr’s supporters, who stormed the Republican Palace.
The palace is a ceremonial building within the well-secured Green Zone of Baghdad with government buildings. There, among other things, the Prime Minister’s Office, writes the news channel The island.
The demonstrators entered the government palace and here they bathe in the swimming pool.
Photo: Ahmed Al-Rubaie/AFP
Twelve people were killed and 270 others injured in clashes between protesters and security forces, according to AFP.
Security forces used tear gas against protesters. NTB wrote that shooting was also heard from the area.
In an attempt to control the situation, the military in Iraq imposed a nationwide curfew. It started at 19:00 local time, according to Reuters news agency.
Sadr supporters respond to smoke outside the government headquarters in the Green Zone in the capital, Baghdad.
Photo: Ahmed Al-Rubaie/AFP
Who is the chest?
He is a religious leader from a prominent Shiite Muslim family of former religious leaders who were highly respected in Iraq, says Kjetil Selvik, a researcher at the Norwegian Foreign Policy Institute.
Al-Sadr has not held any central political positions, but he has significant political influence behind the scenes, says Selvik.
What al-Sadr actually says when he withdraws from political affairs is that he instead wants to bolster his reputation as a religious leader, says your predecessors and adds:
Religious leaders tend to be more popular in Iraq.
Today, Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr announced his withdrawal from all politics. Here he is, fortunately, giving a speech in Najaf in June 2022.
Photo: Qassem Al-Kaabi / Agence France-Presse
Selvik explains that al-Sadr has a large following who is known for taking to the streets.
A large part of Sadr’s strength has historically been that he had a strong theme to mobilize protest.
Selvik explains that he is using it now to get what he wants, or else there will be chaotic conditions in Iraq.
Ten months without a National Assembly
Ten months after the election of a new National Assembly in Iraq, the elected representatives have not yet been able to agree on a new government, prime minister, or president. That’s what NTB wrote.
Al-Sadr controlled the largest bloc in the National Assembly, with 73 out of 329 deputies.
Together with other parties, he formed a coalition of 155 deputies, but forming a government was not enough.
Sadr’s coalition is at odds with the other side of Shiite politics in Iran, the so-called formatting framework.
They have 130 deputies in the National Assembly and also lack the necessary majority.
Require new elections
After a long period of political crisis in the country, al-Sadr decided in June to withdraw himself and all members of the group from the House of Representatives.
When the “coordination framework” tried to form a government, Sadr’s supporters stormed the parliament.
Since then, several hundred supporters have occupied the space outside the National Assembly.
Supporters of Iraqi Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr demonstrate inside the so-called Green Zone in Baghdad.
Photo: Thaer Al-Sudani/Reuters
Earlier this month, al-Sadr called for a “democratic, revolutionary and peaceful process”, the dissolution of Parliament and the holding of new elections.
He also confirmed that the train had left for a negotiated solution, NTB writes.
However, Iraq’s acting Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi and President Barham Salih refused to give up hope for a negotiated solution and called for a “national dialogue”.
“Coffee trailblazer. Certified pop culture lover. Infuriatingly humble gamer.”
