Iraqi protesters breach Baghdad’s parliament, Iraq, Wednesday, July 27, 2022. The majority of the protesters were followers of influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The demonstrators, all of them men, were seen walking on tables of the parliament floor, sitting in the chairs of lawmakers and waving Iraqi flags. (AP Photo/Adil al-Khazali)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 7:48 AM PT – Thursday, July 28, 2022
Hundreds of protesters recently broke into Iraq’s parliament. The riot turned violent Wednesday as the country reached 290 days without a government.
Hundreds of protesters have breached a high security zone in Baghdad and broken into Iraq’s parliament. The supporters of cleric Muqtada al-Sadr oppose the nomination of a rival candidate for Prime Minister. The protesters sang, danced, and lay on tables.#Iraq pic.twitter.com/XYrIVihKl9
— Prabodth Official (@PrabodOfficial) July 28, 2022
Fighting among Shi’ite and Kurdish groups has prevented the formation of a government. The last longest deadlock was in 2010 after it took 298 days to elect a prime minister.
“If Abu Hashem (Iraqi cleric Moqtada Al-Sader) doesn’t agree then there will be a nightmare in parliament,” warned protester Hassan Sattar. “We don’t want any court session held on the basis of quotas or any agreement to change that policy. We tried that for 20 years. If any session is held, we will come back and you won’t sleep.”
Protestors in Baghdad have stormed into Iraq’s Parliament in protest against Pro-Iranian PM candidate Mohammed al-Sudani. Take a look: pic.twitter.com/ptzvSPkXAt
— Steve Hanke (@steve_hanke) July 27, 2022
The outgoing government of Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi continues to run the country. Kadhimi may stay on as caretaker until new elections can be held.