In a statement issued Wednesday, Qais al-Jazali, leader of Iraq’s Asaib Ahl al-Haq movement – part of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units (Al-Hashad Al-Shabi, in Arabic) – praised the restoration of calm in Iraq after days of unrest and demanded steps to speed up the formation of a government as soon as possible.
“The Parliament must convene and form a new government in accordance with the constitution. The status quo is very critical because the legislature remains closed and the government has collapsed,” said the Iraqi leader.
On the other hand, he praised the Al-Hashad Al-Shabi forces for their role as guarantors of national security; at the time, he highlighted the need to hold accountable all those who violated the law, as well as those who fired on Iraqi security forces.
His statements come a day after supporters of the leader of the Iraqi Sadr Movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, left the so-called Green Zone in Baghdad, which houses the Parliament and the headquarters of Western ministries and embassies such as those of the U.S. and the United Kingdom, after occupying the area and causing riots that left at least 30 dead and 700 wounded.
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Sadr’s Saraya Al-Salam militias arrested several commanders of Iran-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq in Basra as armed conflicts intensifies. #Iraq #Basra— Sardar Sattar (@SardarSattar) August 31, 2022
Iraq has been immersed in a political crisis since the parliamentary elections of October 2021. Over the past few months, foreign interference and divergences between Iraqi political parties, compounded by the Sadrist leader’s actions, have hindered the formation of a new government.
In turn, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kazemi, speaking in an address to the nation on Tuesday, threatened to resign if the “chaos” persists.
The Iraqi PM said he has no intention of relinquishing his current responsibilities and favors a customary transfer of power; however, he insisted that he will not maintain this position if the current tensions escalate.
