Iraqi who hurled shoes at George Bush running in upcoming elections
A former Iraqi journalist who gained worldwide fame after he hurled his shoes at former United States President George W. Bush in 2008 has announced his candidacy in the upcoming Iraqi parliamentary elections.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A former Iraqi journalist who gained worldwide fame after he hurled his shoes at former United States President George W. Bush in 2008 has announced his candidacy in the upcoming Iraqi parliamentary elections.
Muntadhar al-Zaidi revealed his decision in a video posted on YouTube, noting that he would run in the Sairoon Alliance, backed by the influential Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The electoral coalition also includes the Iraqi Communist Party.
According to posts published to his Twitter account, Zaidi promises to “sweep the corrupt” from office in Baghdad.
“Oh, parties of banditry, sectarianism, and corruption, we have come, and our goal is to destroy you,” one of his tweets read.
In December 2008, while President Bush was delivering a press conference in Baghdad with the then Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Zaidi threw both his shoes at the US leader. Both attempts missed.
“This is a farewell kiss from the Iraqi people,” Zaidi uttered as he tossed his shoes before security tackled him to the ground.
The Iraqi journalist was arrested following the incident and sentenced to three years in jail but released nine months later for good behavior, according to Iraqi media.
He left Iraq in 2009, spending several years in Lebanon before returning in February to launch his elections campaign.
In a previous interview with CNN, Zaidi claimed he wanted to one day become the prime minister or president of Iraq.
Iraqi parliamentary elections will be held on May 12. They are the first since 2011.