BAGHDAD — Thousands of protesters shouting anti-Iran slogans stormed the Iraqi capital’s government center on Wednesday and occupied the parliament building, protesting corruption and denouncing the top candidate for the country’s next prime minister.
The protesters, who also expressed support for the fiery cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, tore down concrete walls and poured into the Green Zone, the fortified area housing many government ministries and the US Embassy, as little was done by security personnel to stop them.
The protesters seized parliament, sat in lawmakers’ chairs and waved Iraqi flags in a chaotic but largely nonviolent demonstration of Iraqi nationalism and opposition to Mohammed Sudani, the candidate of the Coordination Framework Bloc, a coalition led by Iran-backed Shiites led parties to become the next prime minister.
The unrest came as a warning that more protests could ensue if the government forms under Mr Sudani, who is widely seen as a close collaborator of former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a close Tehran ally and a bitter rival of Mr Sadr .
Demonstrators occupied the parliament building in Baghdad on Wednesday.
Photo: AHMED SAAD/Portal
Mr Sudani vowed not to step down as a candidate for prime minister. “The nomination is a great responsibility for all of us to rescue Iraq from the current situation,” he said in a statement released by his office.
Iraq has been at a political impasse since Mr Sadr’s supporters proved unable to form a government despite triumphing in last October’s elections after campaigning for a fight against corruption and reducing Iran’s influence in Iraq.
Mr Sadr recently withdrew from the political process along with his supporters in Parliament, who resigned en masse, paving the way for the Coordination Framework coalition to form a government. The coalition, which includes Mr Maliki’s Dawa party, chose Mr Sudani to be their prime minister choice this week. Mr. Sudani is a former member of the Dawa Party.
Images of Mr Maliki walking in the Green Zone with an assault rifle surrounded by an armed security team have been shown in Iraqi media. Mr Maliki’s office confirmed the photos were taken on Wednesday evening.
The protests were an indication that Mr Sadr does not intend to retire completely from the political sphere and may still seek to block the choice of prime minister’s coordination framework.
The one-time leader of a rebellion against US forces after the invasion of Iraq in 2003, Mr Sadr became the country’s top political leader after his movement won the largest share of seats in last year’s elections and from widespread outrage about corruption and the growing Iranian influence benefited in Iraq.
Mr Sadr is calling for the end of a quota system in place since 2003, under which ministries and government posts are divided between Shia, Sunni and Kurdish parties. But his efforts to bring down the system have met fierce opposition from his rivals, who fear the dismantling of patronage networks that maintain their wealth and influence.
Protesters tore down concrete walls and poured into Baghdad’s Green Zone, home to many government ministries and the US Embassy.
Photo: AHMED SAAD/Portal
Politicians from across Iraq’s political spectrum have urged protesters to withdraw from the Green Zone, including Mr Sadr, who said in a tweet that the protesters’ message “to reject corruption and oppression” had been delivered.
“Go home safely,” Mr Sadr said in the tweet.
By late evening, most of the demonstrators had left the parliament building and appeared to be leaving the Green Zone.
Kirk Sowell, an analyst at Utica Risk Services, a political risk firm specializing in the Middle East, said the protests “look more like shots across the bow to make it clear that Sadr does not condone Sudani.”
He added: “Sudani’s strength as a candidate is that he is unchallenged with all establishment parties – Shia, Sunni, Kurds. So he’ll probably get elected if the Sadrists don’t really up the pressure on the streets.”
There was no indication that the protesters threatened the US embassy or those of other countries in the Green Zone.
It was the largest protest since last October’s elections, when mass demonstrations against rampant corruption and Iran prompted the government to call snap elections. Most recently, demonstrators stormed the parliament building in 2016 and demanded an end to corruption.
The police had tried to fend off the demonstrators with water cannons and stun grenades. But the protesters entered the Green Zone after tearing down cement barrier walls with ropes. The demonstrators marched down the main street of the Green Zone shouting “Sudani, get out!”.
Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, who has led an interim government since last October’s elections, urged the protesters to remain peaceful and withdraw from the area immediately. He promised to protect foreign missions in the Green Zone. Mr. Kadhimi was outside Baghdad on a visit to Anbar province.
The Coordination Framework Coalition called on Mr Kadhimi to “take decisive steps to maintain security and order and prevent chaos”. The statement said there had been indications in recent days that security forces were allowing protesters into the government zone, which it said was suspicious.
Corrections & Enhancements
Abdul Falah Al-Sudani, a former Iraqi trade minister, resigned from the government in 2009 amid corruption allegations. An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Mohammed Sudani was a former cabinet minister who resigned from the government in 2009 amid corruption allegations. (Corrected on July 27)
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