The economic crisis, inflation and corruption are severely affecting political stability in Iraq. The resignation of the Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has again triggered violent protests in the country. The military imposed a curfew.
According to eyewitnesses, supporters of the influential Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr stormed the government palace in Baghdad. The 48-year-old clergyman had previously announced his retirement from politics. The office of Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kasimi is located in the building, which is actually in the highly secured Green Zone. This further intensifies the political crisis in Iraq after demonstrators broke into the parliament building a month ago.
Ten months after the parliamentary elections, the parties are still unable to agree on a president or a head of government, while the country is groaning under an economic crisis, inflation and corruption. For the second time since 2014, al-Sadr has announced his retirement from politics. “I had decided not to get involved in political affairs, but now I am announcing my final retirement and the closure of all facilities,” he tweeted on Monday. Religious institutions directly associated with him are excluded. “If I die or am killed, I ask for your prayers.”
Less than two hours after the announcement, demonstrators poured into the Green Zone. Some carried photos of al-Sadr. “This is a people’s revolution, not a Sadrist movement,” some shouted. Others called for the “overthrow of the regime”. The protesters removed barriers while security forces tried to disperse the crowd with water cannons. The military imposed a curfew.
The siege of the palace continued despite the curfew. Videos showed a cheering crowd in the plush rooms. One protester said protesters would wander through offices, others would swim in a swimming pool outside. However, no public property will be damaged. Security forces tried to force the protesters out of the palace with smoke grenades.
Prime Minister Al-Kasimi suspended all cabinet meetings until further notice. He spoke of “dangerous developments” and “serious consequences of ongoing political differences”. He asked al-Sadr to call the demonstrators to order. In Dhi Kar in the south, his supporters stormed a provincial government building. Others set fire to car tires on the street there.
Iraq has been in a deep political crisis for months. After the parliamentary elections around ten months ago, this had become increasingly difficult. Al-Sadr’s movement emerged as the clear winner from the election, but failed to secure the important two-thirds majority required for the presidential election. A new government can only be formed with the support of the head of state. This created a political stalemate. Al-Sadr has thus given up his attempt to reform the political system in Iraq with the help of parliament for the time being.
After the fall of long-term dictator Saddam Hussein, the USA introduced a system of proportional representation, according to which the president is always a Kurd, the prime minister a Shiite and the speaker of the parliament a Sunni. In addition, al-Sadr wanted to curb the influence of Shiite parties supported by Iran. With “pressure from the streets” and a storming of parliament, the al-Sadr movement finally wanted to prevent its political opponents around ex-prime minister Nuri al-Maliki, who have close ties to Iran, from forming a government. Most recently, the 48-year-old religious leader had called for new elections. His rivals, meanwhile, have put forward their own prime ministerial candidate, which al-Sadr opposes because of his closeness to al-Maliki.
Muqtada al-Sadr comes from a family of prominent clerics. After the US army invaded Iraq in 2003, he founded a militia, the “Mahdi Army”. Al-Sadr meanwhile lived in Iran.