Supporters of Iraqi Cleric Moqtada al-Sadr protested in Baghdad on Saturday (July 30), pulling down a blast wall as the country’s parliament convened to elect a president, Reuters reports.
Protesters gathered on a bridge in the capital, used ropes to pull down sections of a blast wall, cheering and waving flags as it fell.
Supporters of populist Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr stormed Baghdad's empty parliament on Wednesday (July 27), chanting slogans against his Shi'ite political rivals just days after they indicated agreement on a potential prime minister.
Following an October election, lawmakers have struggled to agree on a head of state or cabinet. The outgoing government of Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi continues to run the country.
The paralysis has left Iraq without a budget for 2022, holding up spending on much-needed infrastructure projects and economic reform.
