After the occupation of the Iraqi parliament, many more protesters invaded the high security zone of the capital, Baghdad. Hundreds of followers of influential Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr arrived from other parts of the country today, eyewitnesses reported. Meanwhile, more and more security forces were stationed in the highly secure Green Zone.
With the protest in parliament, Sadr’s supporters want to put pressure on politicians and prevent the Shiite party’s alliance around former prime minister Nuri al-Maliki from forming a government, which mainly sympathizes with neighboring Iran. Nearly ten months after the general election, the oil-rich country is at an impasse. Acting Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kasimi has once again called on political camps to engage in dialogue.