Followers of cleric enter Iraqi parliament in show of force

By ALI ABDUL-HASSAN and SAMYA KULLAB
Associated Press

BAGHDAD (AP) — Hundreds of Iraqi protesters have breached Baghdad’s parliament, chanting anti-Iran curses in a demonstration against a nominee for prime minister by Iran-backed parties. Most protesters were followers of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in a display Wednesday that raised the stakes in the political struggle for Iraq nearly 10 months after elections. The demonstrators walked on tables of the parliament floor, leafed through folders, sat in lawmakers’ chairs and waved Iraqi flags. No lawmakers were present, and security forces appeared to allow the protesters in with relative ease. They were protesting the selection of Mohammed al-Sudani as the nominee of the Coordination Framework bloc, a coalition led by Iran-backed Shiite parties and their allies.