ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Tens of supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr gathered in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square late Friday, protesting against the nomination of a “corrupt” politician by a pro-Iran coalition. This comes two days after Sadr’s supporters stormed the parliament building. Hundreds of supporters of Sadr removed concrete walls which separate Baghdad’s Green Zone from the rest of the city and entered the parliament building on Wednesday. They rejected the nomination of Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, Iraq’s former minister of labour and social affairs, as a candidate for the country’s prime minister position by pro-Iran Coordination Framework. The protests resumed late Friday but with a smaller number of people. However, Sadr supporters are expected to hold a large demonstration in Baghdad on Saturday and the security forces have installed concrete walls around the Green Zone to avoid the repetition of Wednesday’s storming of the legislature. “Our aim is reform,” a protester told Rudaw’s Mustafa Goran late Friday. Another one said that they will continue with the protests even if the security forces make obstacles. Some of the protesters were holding portraits of Sadr. Sherwan Dubardani, a Kurdish parliamentarian on the ticket of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), told Rudaw’s Nwenar Fatih late Friday that Sadr has decided to reject all prime minister candidates to avoid the formation of a new cabinet. Sadrists claim that Sudani is a corrupt politician. Sadr, who was the main winner of the October elections, withdrew from the parliament last month after failing to reach an agreement with the rival Coordination Framework to form a government.
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