Iraq's Moqtada Al Sadr calls for early elections and rejects dialogue with rival coalition

Country's rival political parties have been locked in 10-month stand-off over the formation of new government

Followers of Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr hold a sit-in protest in Baghdad, Iraq. AP

Mr Al Sadr told his followers to continue their sit-in protest inside Iraq's government zone. Reuters

The influential Shiite cleric, whose bloc won the highest number of seats in Iraq's elections last year, called for the dissolution of the parliament and early elections. Reuters

Iraqis whip themselves with chains during the Ashura commemoration period outside the Iraqi parliament, as Mr Al Sadr's supporters occupy the building for a fifth consecutive day. AFP

Ashura, which is usually observed on the streets and around revered shrines, is taking place in the entrance hall of Baghdad's parliament this year. AFP

A Iraqi toddler holds the country's flag inside the parliament building. AFP

Mr Al Sadr wants to change the system for selecting a new prime minister and has called for a revision of the constitution, which was adopted two years after the US-led invasion in 2003. AFP

Mr Al Sadr's followers rest inside the parliament building during the protest. AP

Supporters of a political alliance of Iran-backed groups attempt to storm government areas in the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, Iraq. AP

Supporters of the Shiite Co-ordination Framework take part in a counter-protest against Al Sadr loyalists outside the Green Zone. AFP

Iraqi security forces spray water on Co-ordination Framework supporters to prevent them from storming government areas in the Green Zone. AP

Co-ordination Framework supporters attempt to storm government areas in the Green Zone in Baghdad. AP

Security forces managed to avoid escalation while holding protesters back, after the Iraqi prime minister ordered them to refrain from using live bullets. AP

Mr Al Sadr's supporters chant pro-peace slogans during a protest in Basra, Iraq. AP

Thousands of Mr Al Sadr supporters breached the Green Zone on Saturday to protest against the Co-ordination Framework's candidate for the post of prime minister. EPA

The Co-ordination Framework called for counter-protests on Monday near parliament, raising fears of possible clashes. EPA

Iraqi security forces stand guard as Mr Al Sadr's supporters gather in front of the parliament building in Baghdad. EPA

Security forces use water cannon to prevent supporters of the Co-ordination Framework from entering the Green Zone. AFP

Iraqi cleric Moqtada Al Sadr, whose supporters are currently camped in the parliament building in Baghdad’s government complex, addressed the country on Wednesday, saying he did not want bloodshed but was “prepared for martyrdom”.

He also called for early elections, despite having gained the largest number of seats in October's national vote.

Mr Al Sadr withdrew his 73 MPs from Parliament last month to protest against what he said was corruption after 10 months of stalled talks to form the next government.

A rival coalition, the Iran-backed Co-ordination Framework, mounted a series of legal challenges against Mr Al Sadr and two allied Kurdish and Sunni parties, stymying attempts to follow the constitutional procedure to select a president, prime minister and Cabinet.

Iraq's Supreme Court later ruled that runner-up MPs could take the Sadrist bloc's seats, boosting the Co-ordination Framework's share of seats by 64.

Iraq’s Shiite elites have been working to de-escalate tension after the Co-ordination Framework organised a counter-protest against the Sadrist demonstrators near the parliament building and the house of caretaker prime minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi on Monday.

As both Mr Al Sadr and the Co-ordination Framework command powerful militias, the EU and UN have called for immediate de-escalation to avoid an intra-Shiite civil war.

Iraq's regular army is relatively neutral and security services on Monday struggled to keep the two sides apart.

On Tuesday, the UN mission to Iraq called for the country’s political rivals to hold talks aimed at finding a solution to the stalemate.

But Mr Al Sadr said it was not the time for negotiations and called on one of the Co-ordination Framework's leading figures, Hadi Al Amiri, who commands the Iran-backed Badr Organisation, to cut ties with his ally, former prime minister Nouri Al Maliki.

Mr Al Amiri has taken a different path to de-escalating the situation, meeting Mr Al Kadhimi on Wednesday evening and saying there was "no solution to the current crisis except sitting down and calling for dialogue".

On Wednesday, Mr Al Sadr said this "is not a struggle over power, rather a revolution".

He said he organised the recent protests for the sake of reform.

Mr Al Sadr's call for early elections could dismay Iraqis who have shunned national votes in increasing numbers, with turnout falling gradually since 2014.

Elections were held early in 2019, a key demand of a national protest movement against Iraq’s post-2003 political elite.