Moqtada Al-Sadr’s supporters to hold demonstrations
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Followers of the powerful Shiite cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr are set to hold demonstrations on Friday afternoon to demand the dissolution of the parliament and hold an early election.
The cleric’s supporters were called upon to gather and demonstrate on Friday at 5:00 PM across all the provinces to “defy the corrupt”, said Salih Mohammad Al-Iraqi, who identifies himself as Minister of the Leader (Moqtada Al-Sadr), in a statement shared on Twitter.
The demonstrators shall fill “legal forms” that will be submitted to the judiciary in order to dissolve the parliament, Al-Iraqi added.
The Sadrists have already staged a sit-in for more than 10 days inside the Iraqi Council of Representatives building.
Last Friday, thousands of the cleric’s followers held a mass prayer at the Grand Festivities Square inside Baghdad’s high-security Green Zone.
The latest round of demonstrations erupted after the nomination of Mohammad Shia’ Al-Sudani by the Shiite Coordination Framework, dominated by Al-Sadr’s arch-foe, former Prime Minister Moqtada Al-Sadr.
Having withdrawn from the parliament since June, the cleric is now calling for dissolving the parliament and holding another snap election, reasoning the legislature has failed in electing a government and president for the country.
The Framework has insisted on forming a new government before any talks of dissolving the parliament.
In response to Sadrists' Friday protests, the Framework's supporters are also set to hold a demonstration across a number of Iraqi provinces.
Al-Sadr urged his rivals' followers on Friday to keep their demonstrations peaceful, as the country is "above all names".
The Sadrists will respond accordingly to any circumstances in case the judiciary does not side with the people’s will, a representative of the cleric told Kurdistan 24 on Wednesday.
The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) President Masoud Barzani and the leader of the Sunni Sovereignty Alliance said on Thursday holding an early election would be a “good step” if all sides agree to respect the final results.