Supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr, an influential Shia cleric, breached Iraq's parliament for the second time in a week, to protest the government formation efforts led by Iran-backed groups.
Cleric's supporters object to Iran-backed parties leading efforts to form next governmentSupporters of Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr gather inside Iraq's parliament in Baghdad's high-security Green Zone on Saturday.
Earlier in the day the demonstrators heeded the calls of cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, using ropes and chains to pull down cement barricades leading to the gate of Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses government buildings and embassies in the capital.
Now, with Iraq in the tenth month since the last elections, the political vacuum is shaping up to be the longest since the U.S.-led 2003 invasion to oust Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein reset the country's political order.
Shia leader Ammar al-Hakim — who is allied with the Framework but has announced he would not participate in the next government — echoed the caretaker premier's words and called for both sides to make concessions to avoid "the irreplaceable loss of the homeland."
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