Iraqi political leader retires from politics, sparking protests

AFP.com, 29 Aug, 2022- Dozens of supporters of powerful Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr on Monday stormed the Republican Palace, a ceremonial building inside Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone of government buildings, a security source said.

Angry protesters “entered the Republican Palace” shortly after Sadr said he was quitting politics, the source said, with several thousand other Sadr loyalists heading towards the Green Zone, an AFP journalist reported. The army has announced a Baghdad-wide curfew to start from 3:30 pm (1230 GMT).

“A full curfew in the capital Baghdad affects all vehicles and citizens,” the Joint Operations Command said in a statement.Hours earlier, Sadr announced he was quitting politics, after a nearly year-long political stalemate that has left the country without a new government.

“I’ve decided not to meddle in political affairs. I therefore announce now my definitive retirement,” said Sadr, a longtime player in the war-torn country’s political scene, though he himself has never held a government post.