Sadrists and Imtidad members dramatically enter first Iraqi parliament session

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Sadrists came to the first session of the Iraqi parliament on Sunday wearing white fabric used to bury the dead. At the same time, members of the Imtidad (Extension) drove there on auto-rickshaws.

Imtidad parliament members came to the parliament building riding in auto rickshaws. Locally known as tuk-tuks, the Arabic name for a small truck, auto-rickshaws have two seats pulled by a motorbike. 

The Imtidad members drove from Tahrir Square in central Baghdad to the parliament building inside the Green Zone in these vehicles. 

The armed wing of the Sadrist movement, the Saraya Al-Salam brigades, have also been deployed in Baghdad neighborhoods since Saturday night. Ahead of the parliament session, they conducted a military parade in the main streets of Baghdad.

Political observers say that Sadrist leader Muqtada al-Sadr wants to show his strength amidst ongoing disputes over the government formation. 

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Imtidad emerged in the aftermath of the October 2019 protest movement against the entrenched political elite in Iraq. During those protests, tuk-tuks were frequently used to move protestors injured by security forces. They became popular amongst Iraqis as a result. 

Imtidad positions itself as the “opposition” to governments that have emerged through an ethno-sectarian quota system that has been in place since 2005.

The party secured nine of the 329 seats in the Iraqi Council of Representatives in the Oct. 10 election. 

Some Kurdish parliament members also entered parliament wearing the traditional Kurdish outfit representing their nation’s unique culture. 

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The parliament session was scheduled to be held at 11 am but was postponed for a few hours to give more time to the political blocs to consult among themselves before the session starts.