Sadr calls for million-man march to storm Iraqi Parliament over electoral commission row

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Supporters of Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Monday vowed to storm the Iraqi Parliament “again” if the term of the elections commission was extended.

In a statement on Monday, the Central Revolution Committee, affiliated to Sadr, threatened to storm the Iraqi Parliament building if the Parliament extended the Independent High Electoral Commission’s (IHEC) term.

Reading the statement during a press conference at Baghdad’s Tahrir Square, Ikhlas al-Uobadi, a member of the Central Revolution Committee, said, “We decided to postpone the demonstrations to give the parliament a chance to elect a new electoral commission.”

“We reject extending the mandate of the current electoral commission for any reason,” the statement said.

“If it is extended, the people will withdraw the mandate from the MPs, and the people will determine their future,” the report added.

Sadr accuses the current IHEC of being under the control of the Iraqi government’s ruling parties and holds them responsible for the violations in the 2014 parliamentary elections.

The Sadr-affiliated committee called upon the people of Iraq to form a million-man march and “fold the page of the parliament to begin a new one.”

On April 30, Sadr supporters stormed the Iraqi Parliament building after the government failed to complete a quorum to vote for Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s new cabinet ministers.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany