Muqtada al-Sadr Calls for Resumption of Protests in Baghdad

Muqtada al-Sadr, a Shia cleric in Iraq, on Wednesday urged his supporters to resume protests and sit-ins in Baghdad. The leader of the Sadrist Movement stated that the purpose of these demonstrations is to pressure the parliament to end political and sectarian disputes and to approve the cabinet. In a statement, al-Sadr called for 'peaceful protests to continue with the same intensity or more, so that politicians and lovers of corruption are pressured.' The Shia cleric emphasized that no one can stand against these protests, warning that if this happens, the revolution will take a different direction. Al-Sadr also instructed his parliamentary representatives not to attend any sessions except for the one related to cabinet approval and to refrain from participating in any sit-ins that would delay the cabinet approval session. Since last week, Baghdad parliament members have been staging a sit-in in the parliament, demanding the resignation of the Speaker, the Prime Minister, and the President of Iraq. A vote was scheduled for Thursday regarding the dismissal of the Speaker, but it was canceled just minutes before due to escalating debates about the next Speaker. Additionally, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani spoke with Haider al-Abadi on Thursday morning, emphasizing Iran's comprehensive support for Iraq in the fight against terrorism. Rouhani expressed hope that, given the situation in Iraq, internal developments would reach a favorable conclusion as soon as possible with the wisdom of Iraqi officials. Following the rise of protests against government corruption in Iraq, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced in winter that he would introduce a new cabinet to combat corruption; however, the approval of this cabinet has been delayed due to protests and disputes. The last proposal that Abadi submitted for a vote to parliament consisted of a cabinet of technocrats. This is not the first time that the people of Baghdad have staged protests and sit-ins at al-Sadr's request. On March 18, a long sit-in began in the Green Zone of Baghdad, which lasted several days. The Green Zone is home to many government offices, embassies, ministerial residences, and foreign diplomats, and is governed under strict security measures. Al-Sadr comes from an influential family that, in 2003, urged his Shia followers to rise against the Americans following their invasion of Iraq. His name has resurfaced in connection with protests against corruption in Iraq. Iraq, a wealthy oil country, ranks 161 out of 168 countries on Transparency International's list of corrupt countries.