On television, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi called on the political blocs to "sit down, negotiate and come to an agreement." Since the early parliamentary elections in October, the incumbent government has limited itself to handling day-to-day business.
Thousands of demonstrators first gathered on Saturday to protest at the entrance to the strictly secured green zone in Baghdad. From there, some Sadr supporters climbed over the concrete barriers that had been set up and first entered the green zone, then into the parliament building located there. On Wednesday, demonstrators had already briefly occupied the parliament.
The demonstrators are protesting against the candidacy of Mohammed Shia al-Sudani for the post of prime minister, which was set up by an alliance of pro-Iranian Shiites - the so-called coordination framework. It includes MPs from former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's party and the pro-Iran Fatah Alliance, the political wing of the Shia-led former paramilitary group Hashed al-Shaabi.
The formation of a government has been at an impasse for months, as has the election of a new president. As long as there is no new president, no new government can be formed.
According to the convention, the prime minister's post goes to a leader of Iraq's Shia majority. Sadr and his alliance emerged as the strongest force in October's parliamentary elections, but were unable to secure a majority.
The people's tribune, preacher and former militia leader Sadr has been pulling the strings in politics in Iraq for years. Sadr comes from one of the most important clerical families in the country and in recent years has stylized himself as a pioneer against rampant corruption.
In one of his typical about-faces, the Shiite leader ensured in June that his 73 MPs withdrew from the 329-strong parliament. This was interpreted by Sadr as an attempt to put pressure on his rivals to speed up the formation of a government. But that same month, 64 new parliamentarians were sworn in, making the pro-Iran bloc the largest in parliament.
The mobilization of the masses was a clear message from Sadr to his rivals that there would be no government "without his consent," said political scientist Ali al-Baidar after the first occupation of parliament.
The security forces used water cannons and tear gas against the demonstrators on Saturday. According to the Ministry of Health, at least a hundred demonstrators and 25 security forces were injured.
"The whole people is with you, Sajid Moktada," the crowd chanted at the protest. "Sajid" identifies Sadr as a descendant of the Islamic prophet Mohammed. "We don't want the corrupt and we don't want the ones we've already seen," said Sadr supporter Haydar al-Lami.
