Sadr's party to withdraw from Iraqi parliament as protest death toll mounts
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A major Iraqi parliamentary bloc led by cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Saturday announced it would be moving to the legislature’s opposition amid flaring public unrest. It also urged other factions to follow suit in order to force the passage of reforms demanded by anti-corruption protesters across the country.
The Sairoon Coalition would “bear the moral and national responsibility in maintaining the stability of Iraq and the safety of its people” after the “brutal” crackdown by the security forces against demonstrators, said a spokesperson during a press conference in Baghdad, remarking that the nation was “on the brink of collapse” due to “the lack of real government steps” so far made to address public grievances.
“The Sairoon parliamentary bloc announces it will be opposition in the House of Representatives and sit in parliament until the response to the legitimate demands of demonstrators,” it added, calling on other blocs to “follow suit in order to pass reforms.”
The move comes as deadly protests continued in central and southern Iraqi provinces for a second day, resulting in the deaths of 63 people and injury of close to 2,500 others, according to the parliamentary High Commission for Human Rights.
Read More: Iraq protests: Security forces kill 3 and wound 84 in Baghdad, arrest 25 in Basra
The Sairoon bloc, backed by Sadr, has the single highest number of seats in the legislature—54 out of 329 seats. Sairoon is at the head of a larger political alliance that makes up about half of the parliament, opposed by a mainly Iranian-backed coalition.
Due to Iraq’s complex and often inadequately functioning political process, disagreements lingered for months on whose coalition had the largest number of seats in parliament following a contentious election. As such, following months of political jockeying, the two sides agreed to a compromise candidate, Adil Abdul Mahdi, to form a government.
In early October 2018, Sadr endorsed Abdul Mahdi in an address as an “independent” who was free from the “corruption” of previous administrations but gave a stern warning that the new premier had a “one-year deadline” to enact reform or face a popular uprising.
A fresh bout of protesters, seemingly independent of political allegiances, began taking to the streets on Oct. 1, 2019 to call for—as Iraqis long have—improved public services, increased access to jobs, and an end to the corruption that plagues the country’s various institutions. They also demanded a complete overhaul of the government and denounced the political elite.
Sadr, who likes to cast himself as an outsider despite being a major kingmaker in Iraqi politics for a decade and a half, endorsed the demonstrators and called on Abdul Mahdi and his government to resign. Following a week of deadly confrontations with security forces, demonstrators withdrew, giving Baghdad close to 20 days to pass immediate reforms before resuming again.
Sadr, among other leaders, has threatened that politicians aligned with him would withdraw from the government several times before, during both the current and previous administrations. The spokesperson on Saturday did not specify whether or not cabinet members and other political officials from the Sairoon Coalition would resign.
After announcements in previous weeks by Abdul Mahdi of ambitious proposed reforms were not welcomed as attainable by the general public, thousands took to the streets again in large cities on Friday and Saturday. At the end of the first day close to 50 people were killed as the security forces and militias dispersed demonstrators with tear gas and stun grenades, also reportedly firing live rounds on them.
Editing by John J. Catherine