"Al-Sadr's opponents" announce an open sit-in in Baghdad

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[size=52]"Al-Sadr's opponents" announce an open sit-in in Baghdad[/size]

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Supporters of al-Sadr during Friday prayers in the vicinity of the Iraqi parliament in central Baghdad (AFP)
August 13, 2022 
[size=45]Huda Jassim (Baghdad)[/size]
[size=45]The political opponents of Muqtada al-Sadr in the "coordinating framework" began yesterday, an open sit-in on the walls of the fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, in contrast to another sit-in held by supporters of the "Sadr movement" inside Parliament two weeks ago, with the escalation of the severe political crisis in Iraq. Since July, the two parties have been facing the "Sadr movement" and the "coordinating framework", in a new escalation of sharp political differences without the crisis situation leading to violence so far, amid the "Sadr movement" demand to dissolve parliament and hold early legislative elections. Two weeks ago, the Sadrist movement's supporters have continued to sit-in next to the Iraqi parliament, in the fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, which includes government institutions and diplomatic headquarters.
Yesterday, his opponents responded in the coordinating framework by declaring an open sit-in on a road leading to one of the gates of the Green Zone, after a demonstration that included thousands. Supporters of the "framework" concluded their demonstration by "announcing the open sit-in," according to a final statement read to the protesters, which are eight demands, the most prominent of which are "accelerating the formation of a national service government with full powers in accordance with constitutional contexts."
The statement also called on "the Speaker of the House of Representatives to end the suspension of work, and to take effective action to vacate the Council and activate its legislative and oversight work."
The coordination framework includes, in particular, the parliamentary bloc loyal to the armed factions, and the bloc of former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. The framework had initially accepted the dissolution of parliament and early elections, according to conditions. The current crisis began after the "Sadr movement" rejected, at the end of July, the candidate for the coordination framework for prime minister.
Since the parliamentary elections in October 2021, Iraq has been experiencing complete political paralysis with the inability to elect a new president and form a new government, against the backdrop of continuous political differences.
While the coordinating framework, which includes the "State of Law" bloc, led by former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, and a bloc representing the armed factions, says that it is open to dissolving parliament, on the condition that it convenes and the deputies discuss and vote on it, Muqtada al-Sadr demanded the judiciary to intervene and dissolve the parliament within a maximum deadline. next week. Article 64 of the Iraqi constitution stipulates that the Council of Representatives shall be dissolved “by an absolute majority of its members, at the request of one-third of its members, or a request from the Prime Minister, and with the approval of the President of the Republic.”
Meanwhile, thousands of Sadrist supporters performed Friday prayers near Parliament.
In conjunction with the "coordinating framework" demonstration, competing demonstrations also took place in other regions of Iraq. In Mosul in northern Iraq, hundreds of supporters of the coordination framework demonstrated in the city, while supporters of the "Sadr movement" gathered in the cities of Al-Amarah and Nasiriyah in the south.
In order to increase pressure on his opponents, al-Sadr called on his current's resigned MPs and supporters to file collective lawsuits with the judiciary in order to push him to dissolve parliament. Volunteers were distributing lawsuit forms to the protesters, who had registered their names on them and signed them in preparation for their submission.
On the permissibility of dissolving Parliament by the Federal Court, legal expert Ali Al-Tamimi confirms the possibility of this.
In a statement to Al-Ittihad, he said: "Yes, the Federal Court can dissolve Parliament in accordance with Articles 47 and 59 of the Civil Code related to the failure of this institution, that is, Parliament, in performing its constitutional role and exceeding the constitutional deadlines."
Al-Tamimi stated that the general principles contained in the Civil Code affirm that when the institution is unable to perform its role, the judiciary takes over its dissolution.
He pointed out that «the Federal Court has a general mandate and a mandatory decision, according to Articles 92, 93 and 94 of the Iraqi Constitution», expecting the court to resolve the parliament, which has become a popular demand.
The Iraqi legal expert and advisor to the Arab Court of Arbitration in the League of Arab States, Adnan Al-Sharifi, believes that everything that is happening is moving towards the extension of Mustafa Al-Kazemi's government for another year, followed by early elections.
The elections that took place in October 2021 were early elections that came to calm the anger of the street following an unprecedented wave of protest in Iraq in the fall of 2019, in which protesters demanded the overthrow of the regime and denounced the corruption of the ruling class in an oil-rich but poverty-stricken country.[/size]
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