Protests in Baghdad against parliamentary session amid heavy security presence

Thousands of people took to the streets in capital Baghdad to protest the parliamentary session scheduled for today, Wednesday. The session will be held to vote on resignation of Speaker of Parliament, Muhammad al-Halbousi, and to choose a President and a Prime Minister. The Sadrist movement will be absent from this session, which is held amid tension among political blocs. Security forces have been in preparation for days to cut off the most important roads in Baghdad, in conjunction with the start of protests. Security forces deployed heavily in the vicinity of the Green Zone, where government institutions and foreign embassies are located. Protesters, A24 interviewed, stated their rejection of the parliamentary session, considering it a session of a corrupt group that does not represent the people. They demand to abolish the quota system among political blocs, and to meet Iraqi youth demands for change. They call on independent MPs to abstain during the session.