Dozens of al-Sadr's supporters rally towards the Green Zone

Shafaq News/ Dozens of the powerful Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr supporters rallied toward the ultra-secure Green Zone downtown the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, to protest the nomination of Mohammad Shiyaa al-Sudani for the premiership.

Amid the longstanding political deadlock followed by the parliamentary elections in October 2021, the Coordination Framework, the largest bloc in the Iraqi parliament after the mass walkout of the Sadrist lawmakers, nominated Mohammed Shiaa al-Sudani for the prime minister position.

Our correspondent to the Iraqi capital said that the demonstrators gathered in Al-Tahrir square and crossed to al-Jumhuriyah (The Republic) bridge toward the Green Zone.

The security forces ramped up the security in the vicinity of the heavily fortified area that houses government headquarters and foreign diplomatic missions.

The security forces established a transverse cordon in the middle of Al-Tahrir square from the side facing al-Tayaran square; an assembly point of the demonstrators.

Similarly, law enforcement blocked the road leading to al-Tahrir from al-Karrada street.

A leading figure of the Sadrist movement told Shafaq News Agency, "the withdrawal of the Sadrist movement from the Iraqi government does not mean that it will allow the political forces to form a consensus government. It will not happen, no matter how much the Coordination Framework tried."

The figure who preferred to remain anonymous added, "the protests are a duty of the Sadrist movement to hinder al-Sudani's nomination and the formation of a consensus government. The movement will render the people a blocking one-third."