Iraq's protest movement seeks to find voice in parliament - in pictures

A new breed of representatives is entering parliament

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All photos: AFP

Demonstrators gather in Al Haboubi Square in Iraq's Nasiriyah city to commemorate the second anniversary of the October 2019 protest movement. Today, a new breed of representatives sits in Iraq's parliament.

Alaa Al Rikabi, secretary general of the Imtidad (Extension) Party, gives an interview at his home in Nasiriyah.

Imtidad positions itself as the "opposition" to governments that have emerged through an informal ethno-sectarian quota system, Mr Rikabi told AFP.

Hussein Ali, a 28-year-old veteran Iraqi protester, has been in a wheelchair for two years since being shot in the back during a demonstration.

The protest movement that broke out two years ago railed against the political class running the oil-rich but poverty-stricken country where youth unemployment is soaring.

For many, such as Mohammed Al Anouz, opposition is the only option.