Iraq – Protests in Baghdad against parliamentary session amid heavy security presence

Location: Baghdad – Iraq

Language: Arabic

Duration: 00:03:45

Sound: natural

Source: A24 in Baghdad

Restrictions: A24 subscribers

Date: 09/28/ 2022

Storyline:

Thousands of people took to the streets in capital Baghdad to protest the parliamentary session scheduled for today, Wednesday.

The session will be held to vote on resignation of Speaker of Parliament, Muhammad al-Halbousi, and to choose a President and a Prime Minister. The Sadrist movement will be absent from this session, which is held amid tension among political blocs.

Security forces have been in preparation for days to cut off the most important roads in Baghdad, in conjunction with the start of protests. Security forces deployed heavily in the vicinity of the Green Zone, where government institutions and foreign embassies are located.

Protesters, A24 interviewed, stated their rejection of the parliamentary session, considering it a session of a corrupt group that does not represent the people. They demand to abolish the quota system among political blocs, and to meet Iraqi youth demands for change. They call on independent MPs to abstain during the session.

Shotlist:

– Soundbite (Mohammed Mahdi – Protester): 

“Iraqi youth took to the streets today to make a change and reject the quota system that has been afflicting Iraq for the past twenty years. We denounce the continuation of current conditions of political quotas and distribution of positions among blocs. Politicians should consider the interests of the people. We voted for the majority project, i.e. the Sadrist bloc, and we have a majority and opposition bloc, this system exists in all countries of the world. However, they thwarted this project as a result of foreign interference. We refuse to allow the return of the quota system.”

– Soundbite (Ali Abdel Hussein – Protester):

“Iraqi public rejects this session, the coordination framework session, and our demands are known. The dense security deployment and reinforcements are for protecting the Green Zone rather than the people. This session does not represent the Iraqi public, Ali al-Sistani and Muqtada al-Sadr both criticized it, and their opinions are a representation of Iraqi public. We call on honorable and independent MPs not to get involved with them, or vote for them, because they are corrupt and have been destroying Iraq since 2003. They have not bot benefited Iraq in anyway and only care about protecting the Green Zone rather than the people.”