Yesterday, life in Iraq returned to normal after bloody armed clashes in the Green Zone in the center of Baghdad, but there are no signs of a way out of the political crisis that has been going on for more than a year.
Thirty people were killed and about 600 supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr’s al-Sadr movement were injured in clashes that broke out on Monday and lasted almost 24 hours in the heavily fortified Green Zone, which includes government headquarters and diplomatic missions, between supporters, with on the one hand, and elements of the security forces and the Popular Mobilization, on the other.
The clashes came after tens of thousands of Sadr’s supporters took to the streets to express their anger after the influential cleric announced his “final retirement” from political life.
Many of them stormed official headquarters in Baghdad and other areas, most notably the Government Palace in the Green Zone, and clashed with security forces who tried to fight back.
And in further evidence of al-Sadr’s clear control over his base, the firing stopped, the guns fell silent, and his supporters left the Green Zone minutes after he gave the order to do so at a press conference in Najaf on Tuesday.
Life returned to the capital after the curfew announced by the army after the start of the standoff was lifted, and daily traffic jams returned to the streets of Baghdad.
According to the Ministry of Education, markets and shops have returned to work, and “school exams have resumed.”
The confrontation represented the pinnacle of controversy over the political crisis that Iraq is experiencing following the October 2021 legislative elections.
Due to sharp disagreements between political parties, neither a new prime minister nor a government was formed after the elections.
Parliament also failed to elect a new president for a country that ranks among the richest countries in the world in terms of oil reserves but is mired in economic and social crisis.
Republican President Barham Salih said in televised plans Tuesday night that “holding new early elections in accordance with the national understanding represents a way out of the suffocating crisis in the country instead of political squabbles or clashes and squabbles.”
In order to hold early elections, Parliament must be dissolved, which can only be done by an absolute majority of its members in accordance with the Constitution.
This may be done at the request of one third of its members, or at the request of the Prime Minister with the approval of the President of the Republic.
No power has a clear majority in Parliament. Following recent events, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kazemi threatened to resign if the political paralysis that grips the country continues.
The coordinating structure stuck to its positions and reaffirmed in a statement released on Tuesday its demand to “accelerate the formation of a national service government that will take over the tasks of reform and the fight against corruption.”
As for the position of al-Sadr, known for his changeable and unpredictable statements and actions, it is not clear today.
On Tuesday, he urged his supporters to “get out” completely from the streets, even from the “sit-in in front of parliament” they started a few weeks ago, but leader Saleh Muhammad al-Iraq, known for his closeness to al-Sadr, tweeted yesterday via his account “Minister Leader” by attacking the coordination structure, which also includes representatives of Shiite factions associated with the Popular Mobilization Forces and loyal to Iran.
He urged Iran to “keep its camel in Iraq, otherwise there will be no regrets.”