Tens of thousands of supporters of a powerful Iraqi Shiite cleric rallied in central Baghdad today to press demands for reform and an end to alleged corruption in the government.
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Sadr demanded that all corrupt people in government institutions, including high-ranking officials, be sacked.
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi made a substantial shakeup in his cabinet late March, when he presented a list of 14 candidates to the parliament for a new cabinet lineup including independent technocrats, but his move faced objections from other parties in the parliament.
Speakers led the flag-waving protesters in chants of “yes, yes to reform”, “no, no to corruption” and “no, no to sectarianism”.
Emotions in Baghdad are still raw following a suicide bombing in the central Karrada district on 3 July, claimed by Islamic State, that killed at least 292 people, making it one of the worst among the hundreds of such attacks carried out in Iraq since US -led forces toppled Saddam Hussein 13 years ago.
Sadr has led repeated protests in recent months, some of them breaching the central Green Zone government and diplomatic compound. His supporters pledged to continue the protest, promising it would be peaceful. Internet connections were cut during the demonstration, but restored later in the morning. There were no reports of serious violence several hours into the demonstration.
Abadi then toured several security checkpoints late on Thursday in an apparent attempt to bolster his image amid a rising wave of public outcry with residents blaming the government for failing to provide security.
The Friday demonstration, which started to wind down after Sadr’s demands were read, was the first to take place in weeks, as the cleric called for a break in protests during Ramadan, when observant Muslims fast from dawn to dusk.Security forces fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators at previous protests, but this was one was much more tightly stewarded by organisers.
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Awadi said he wants an end to sectarian and party quotas, the trial of corrupt officials, the return of stolen money to the Iraqi people and the formation of a government of technocrats.
