On Tuesday, Iraqi President Barham Salih advocated for early legislative elections to resolve a political crisis that erupted into deadly violence this week, leaving dozens dead and hundreds injured.
The influential Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has demanded early elections less than a year after the last election. His supporters clashed with state security forces during disturbances that began on Monday.
Salih stated in a speech that holding new, early elections following a national agreement represents an exit from the suffocating situation.
It ensures political and social stability and satisfies the desires of the Iraqi people. Mustafa al-Kadhimi, the prime minister of Iraq, stated on Tuesday that he would resign if the country’s tense political climate continued.
Salih spoke barely hours after Sadr supporters withdrew from Baghdad’s Green Zone after nearly 24 hours of battles with the army and Shia militias supported by Iran’s neighbors.
At least 28 Sadr supporters were murdered, and about 750 were injured in fighting that began on Monday when Sadr’s supporters attacked the government palace in response to their leader’s decision to leave politics.
