Iraq
Supporters of top Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr crowding the al-Jumhuriya bridge leading to Baghdad's Green Zone on July 30, 2022. Photo: Ahmad al-Rubaye/AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The pro-Iran Coordination Framework late Sunday called on the Iraqi people to demonstrate "in defense of the Iraqi state" against the protests fueled by influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, the faction said as a sit-in at the Iraqi parliament sinks the country further into further political turmoil.
The framework’s protests are set to take place on Monday at 5:00 pm in front of Baghdad's fortified Green Zone, currently swarming with Sadrist protestors, on the basis of defending the Iraqi state, according to a statement published by Afaq TV affiliated with Nouri al-Maliki.
"We call on the Iraqi people who believe in law, constitution, and constitutional legitimacy to defend the state and its institutions," the statement said, adding that the legitimacy of the state is a "red line" currently threatened by protestors seeking to destabilize Iraqi institutions.
The counter-protests announcement comes after Sadr on Sunday called on Iraqis not to waste another "golden opportunity" as they did in 2016 and demanded reform in efforts to expel corruption and foreign influence in Iraq.
Scores of the cleric's supporters took to the streets in Baghdad on Saturday morning for the second time in three days, entering the high-security Green Zone where government offices, the parliament, and foreign embassies are located.
The protestors forced their way towards the legislative chamber in protest of the Coordination Framework's candidate for the Iraqi premiership - Mohammed Shia' al Sudani - who is accused of corruption and having close ties to former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki.
The Coordination Framework claims that the recent developments threaten to bring about a coup and "abolish" democracy in Iraq.
Sadr noted that should the Iraqi people miss the opportunity to ensure it becomes completely void of foreign influence, he "will have no choice but to pray and cry for the end of Iraq, which is near."
Top Iraqi and Kurdish officials have urged for a national dialogue to address the crisis, and the parliament's sessions have been suspended until further notice.
Leader of the Fatih Alliance Hadi al-Amiri on Monday urged Sadr and the framework to hold "serious and constructive" talks, calling for a mutual understanding and negotiations.
"The Iraqi blood is dear to everyone," Amiri noted, calling for an end of bloodshed of Iraqis.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani on Sunday urged political parties to engage in dialogue in Erbil, referring to it as their "second capital."
The framework welcomed Barzani's invitation for national dialogue, expressing their commitment to resolving the crisis engulfing Iraq "and reach realistic solutions that depend on the constitution."
Iraq's political impasse has reached unprecedented depths. The country is trapped in a suffocating political turmoil and currently experiencing a record period devoid of a cabinet, at over nine months.
Sadr emerged as the winner of the October elections but withdrew from the parliament in June after failing to come to an agreement with the framework on government formation.
Despite the influential cleric's withdrawal, he remains a massive voice on the streets. A single tweet from Sadr amasses thousands of protestors into the streets.
Updated 10:43 am
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