Ordinary Iraqis say they have been caught in the middle of Shiite political rivals’ cut-throat competition for influence, while communities across the country are gripped by mounting challenges.
The past several months have been excruciating for Iraqis, as the political elite have failed time and again to form a new government since the October elections.
The political infighting hit worrying levels last week when influential Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr ordered his followers to take over the parliament building and stage an open-ended sit-in.
The protesters have since been ordered by Mr Al Sadr to leave the parliament building but will remain camped outside.
Mr Al Sadr's aim is to derail efforts by the Iran-backed Co-ordination Framework to form a government. In return, his rivals — who suffered significant losses in the election — briefly launched counter-protests on Monday in a show of force.
The Co-ordination Framework, at least on paper, has a fighting chance of forming the next government after Mr Al Sadr removed his MPs from parliament in June.
Both sides have shrugged off calls for calm and dialogue. Many feared Monday’s protests could have led to violence, as both factions are heavily armed.
“Literally, we are lost between them,” Ibrahim Ali, 55, told The National.
“All the people are terrified, not only me, especially yesterday. We thought they would fight each other in the streets.”
Preparing for the worst over the past month, Mr Ali has been building a stockpile of essential food items at home — rice, sugar, dried food and drinking water.
“The situation is very hard and I see no exit,” he added, standing in Baghdad’s upscale Mansour neighbourhood.
“There is no future in Iraq, the future is bleak with the presence of these political parties and militias. They only care about their interests and how to secure the biggest slice in the cake.”
Literally, we are lost between them
Ibrahim Ali
The political stalemate is the longest since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein. It has led to delays in approving this year's federal budget, hindered efforts to improve public services and halted plans to create jobs in a country where unemployment hit at least 14.2 per cent in 2021.
After winning 73 seats in the 329-seat parliament in October, Mr Al Sadr sought to form a majority government with only Sunni and Kurdish parties, upsetting his rivals in the Co-ordination Framework.
Members of the bloc derailed efforts to form a government through series of legal challenges and parliament session boycotts to block the candidates put forward by Mr Al Sadr's allies for the role of president — a vital step in government formation. Intimidation tactics were also reportedly employed.
In June, Mr Al Sadr ordered his MPs to resign, opening a path for the Co-ordination Framework to form a government.
Last week, the bloc nominated Shiite politician Mohammed Shia Al Sudani for the role of prime minister, someone Mr Al Sadr has called a “shadow” of his rival, former prime minister Nouri Al Maliki, one of the senior Co-ordination Framework leaders.
Before a planned parliamentary session on Thursday, Mr Al Sadr's followers briefly occupied the legislative building. They returned on Saturday and started their sit-in, prompting the parliament speaker to suspend the session indefinitely.
Few residents of Baghdad have ventured outside their homes since the protests began and the main markets in the city have been mostly empty. For those brave enough to go out, road closures around the Green Zone have snarled traffic.
“Our sales dropped by at least 40 per cent,” said Fatima Sabah, a cashier at a women's clothing store in Mansour. Other workers stand nearby, with no shoppers to be seen.
“No one dares, or has the mood to go out and buy anything while the country is burning and on the verge of a collapse,” Mr Sabah, 25, said.
Late on Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi renewed calls for calm and de-escalation as his caretaker government searches for a solution.
But Mr Ali says such efforts will lead to nothing.
“The only solution is to form a national salvation government to prepare for another election and most important, to change the political system, giving more power to the president of the state,” he said.
Occupying the Green Zone
The eerie silence of the rest of the city changes into something much different in the Green Zone.
Three-wheeled rickshaws, known as tuk-tuks, shuttle Mr Al Sadr’s followers to and from the parliament building. Tents have been erected along the main road that runs next to the Green Zone, with free food and drinks on offer for protesters.
Three lines of volunteers search those looking to enter the area, where some protesters sleep on mattresses spread out on the marble floors. Others chant and read pro-Al Sadr slogans and poems.
“Here are the soldiers of the Sayyed,” one group chanted, using the honorific for descendants of Prophet Mohammed.
Posters with images of Mr Al Sadr hang on the walls alongside banners with pledges of allegiance from different Iraqi tribes and leaders.
“Yes, yes for reform,” one banner reads. “We are with our leader, Moqtada Al Sadr, to overhaul the political system and salvage the country,” another says.
Ali Abbas Alwan joined the sit-in on Sunday. He came from Diyala province in north-eastern Iraq, leaving behind a wife and two young children.
“For the sake of Iraq and the Sayyed, we are here today,” Mr Alwan, a 29-year-old construction worker, told The National.
“We believe in him and we are certain that he will take the country out of this dilemma that the corrupt and the thieves put the country in.”
On Tuesday morning, he received a phone call from his family, saying that they had ran out of milk for his 1-year old child.
“I will go back to them today to work for few days so that I can buy the milk and other needs and will get back again here,” he said.
CABINET%20OF%20CURIOSITIES%20EPISODE%201%3A%20LOT%2036
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Francesco Totti's bio
Born September 27, 1976
Position Attacking midifelder
Clubs played for (1) - Roma
Total seasons 24
First season 1992/93
Last season 2016/17
Appearances 786
Goals 307
Titles (5) - Serie A 1; Italian Cup 2; Italian Supercup 2
Series result
1st ODI Zimbabwe won by 6 wickets
2nd ODI Sri Lanka won by 7 wickets
3rd ODI Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets
4th ODI Zimbabwe won by 4 wickets
5th ODI Zimbabwe won by 3 wickets
Super Saturday results
4pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 | US$350,000 | (Dirt) | 1,200m
Winner: Drafted, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer).
4.35pm: Al Bastakiya Listed | $300,000 | (D) | 1,900m
Winner: Divine Image, Brett Doyle, Charlie Appleby.
5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Turf Group 3 | $350,000 | (Turf) | 1,200m
Winner: Blue Point, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 | $350,000 | (D) | 1,600m
Winner: Muntazah, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson.
6.20pm: Dubai City of Gold Group 2 | $300,000 | (T) | 2,410m
Winner: Old Persian, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 Group 1 | $600,000 | (D) | 2,000m
Winner: Capezzano, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
7.30pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 | $400,000 | (T) | 1,800m
Winner: Dream Castle, Christophe Soumillon, Saeed bin Suroor.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
What is tokenisation?
Tokenisation refers to the issuance of a blockchain token, which represents a virtually tradable real, tangible asset. A tokenised asset is easily transferable, offers good liquidity, returns and is easily traded on the secondary markets.
if you go
The flights
Emirates flies to Delhi with fares starting from around Dh760 return, while Etihad fares cost about Dh783 return. From Delhi, there are connecting flights to Lucknow.
Where to stay
It is advisable to stay in Lucknow and make a day trip to Kannauj. A stay at the Lebua Lucknow hotel, a traditional Lucknowi mansion, is recommended. Prices start from Dh300 per night (excluding taxes).
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
Super 30
Produced: Sajid Nadiadwala and Phantom Productions
Directed: Vikas Bahl
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Srivastav, Mrinal Thakur
Rating: 3.5 /5
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- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
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Squad
Ali Kasheif, Salim Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdulrahman, Mohammed Al Attas, Abdullah Ramadan, Zayed Al Ameri (Al Jazira), Mohammed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammed Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Essa, Mohammed Shaker, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah) Walid Abbas, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli), Tariq Ahmed, Jasim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Muharami (Baniyas)
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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PRISCILLA
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Voy!%20Voy!%20Voy!
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Omar%20Hilal%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Muhammad%20Farrag%2C%20Bayoumi%20Fouad%2C%20Nelly%20Karim%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Director: Shady Ali
Cast: Boumi Fouad , Mohamed Tharout and Hisham Ismael
Rating: 3/5
Why%20all%20the%20lefties%3F
%3Cp%3ESix%20of%20the%20eight%20fast%20bowlers%20used%20in%20the%20ILT20%20match%20between%20Desert%20Vipers%20and%20MI%20Emirates%20were%20left-handed.%20So%2075%20per%20cent%20of%20those%20involved.%0D%3Cbr%3EAnd%20that%20despite%20the%20fact%2010-12%20per%20cent%20of%20the%20world%E2%80%99s%20population%20is%20said%20to%20be%20left-handed.%0D%3Cbr%3EIt%20is%20an%20extension%20of%20a%20trend%20which%20has%20seen%20left-arm%20pacers%20become%20highly%20valued%20%E2%80%93%20and%20over-represented%2C%20relative%20to%20other%20formats%20%E2%80%93%20in%20T20%20cricket.%0D%3Cbr%3EIt%20is%20all%20to%20do%20with%20the%20fact%20most%20batters%20are%20naturally%20attuned%20to%20the%20angles%20created%20by%20right-arm%20bowlers%2C%20given%20that%20is%20generally%20what%20they%20grow%20up%20facing%20more%20of.%0D%3Cbr%3EIn%20their%20book%2C%20%3Cem%3EHitting%20Against%20the%20Spin%3C%2Fem%3E%2C%20cricket%20data%20analysts%20Nathan%20Leamon%20and%20Ben%20Jones%20suggest%20the%20advantage%20for%20a%20left-arm%20pace%20bowler%20in%20T20%20is%20amplified%20because%20of%20the%20obligation%20on%20the%20batter%20to%20attack.%0D%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CThe%20more%20attacking%20the%20batsman%2C%20the%20more%20reliant%20they%20are%20on%20anticipation%2C%E2%80%9D%20they%20write.%0D%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CThis%20effectively%20increases%20the%20time%20pressure%20on%20the%20batsman%2C%20so%20increases%20the%20reliance%20on%20anticipation%2C%20and%20therefore%20increases%20the%20left-arm%20bowler%E2%80%99s%20advantage.%E2%80%9D%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Watford v Leicester City (3.30pm)
Brighton v Arsenal (6pm)
West Ham v Wolves (8.30pm)
Bournemouth v Crystal Palace (10.45pm)
Sunday
Newcastle United v Sheffield United (5pm)
Aston Villa v Chelsea (7.15pm)
Everton v Liverpool (10pm)
Monday
Manchester City v Burnley (11pm)
Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
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Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Kandahar%20
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If you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Chicago from Dh5,215 return including taxes.
The hotels
Recommended hotels include the Intercontinental Chicago Magnificent Mile, located in an iconic skyscraper complete with a 1929 Olympic-size swimming pool from US$299 (Dh1,100) per night including taxes, and the Omni Chicago Hotel, an excellent value downtown address with elegant art deco furnishings and an excellent in-house restaurant. Rooms from US$239 (Dh877) per night including taxes.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company%20Profile
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