Iraqi Parliament Speaker Muhammad al-Khalbusi called on “the demonstrators to maintain the peacefulness of the demonstration” and instructed “to protect Parliament by not attacking or harming demonstrators, nor by carrying weapons inside Parliament, and by instructing the General Secretariat of the House of Representatives to be present in Parliament and communicate with the protesters,” he also ordered “the staff of the parliamentary medical center for emergencies to be present,” according to a statement from Al-Khalbusi’s press office.

The Sadrist movement announced “the start of an open sit-in at the Iraqi parliament building” hours after protesters from the movement stormed the building, knocking down concrete barriers and entering the green zone. Noting that the security forces adhered to instructions not to contact the protesters who stormed the building.

Protesters supporting the movement also said they would “go to the Federal Courthouse to deliver their message.”

For its part, the Ministry of Health announced earlier today that it “received 60 wounded demonstrators” following clashes that took place between them and Iraqi forces after they stormed the parliament building, where the forces fired tear gas and water cannons. .

Thousands of Sadr supporters are demonstrating against the Coordination Framework’s nomination of a figure they see as close to Nouri al-Maliki, Sadr’s political opponent, for prime minister.

This is the second time in days that demonstrators have stormed the parliament building as the country’s political crisis escalates. Ten months after the October 2021 early legislative elections, Iraq is experiencing total political paralysis as the country still lacks a new president and a new government.