Al-Sadr followers protest in Iraq's parliament against Iran-backed PM candidate
Hundreds of Iraqi protesters breached Baghdad's Green Zone parliament on Wednesday chanting anti-Iran curses in a demonstration against a nominee for prime minister by Tehran-backed parties.
Most of the protesters were said to be followers of influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
The demonstrators were seen singing and waving Iraqi flags, while some walked on tables on the parliament floor, leafed through folders, and sat in lawmakers' chairs. The incident raised the stakes in the political struggle for Iraq nearly 10 months after federal elections.
No MP were present, with only security forces inside the building, but the protest did not escalate into outright violence.
The spark behind the demonstrations was the recent selection of Mohammed al-Sudani as the official nominee of the Coordination Framework bloc -- a coalition led by Iran-backed Shiite parties and their allies.
It was the largest protest since federal elections were held in October and the second time al-Sadr has used his ability to mobilise the masses to send a message to his political rivals this month.
Earlier in July, thousands heeded his call for mass prayer, an event many feared would devolve into crowds demonstrating in the streets.
Hours after his followers occupied parliament, al-Sadr issued a statement on Twitter telling them their message had been received and "to return safely to your homes," signalling there would be no further escalation of the sit-in.
Shortly after, protesters began making their way out of the parliament building with security forces supervising.
The incident, and al-Sadr's subsequent show of control over his followers, carried an implicit warning to the Framework alliance of a potential escalation to come if the government
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