Muqtada al-Sadr, who won the maximum number of seats in the October elections, is determined to go against the general practice of a consensus government and wants to form a government based on political majority, claiming that it will establish accountability

Protesters also rallied against traders, accusing them of artificially raising prices and overcharging customers for basic food items and other essential commodities

The fifth elections since the 2003 US-led invasion of the country saw the lowest voter turnout (41%), amid growing discontent with the political system due to widespread corruption, inefficiency and government apathy

Today we look restrictions on Venezuela’s access to the IMF’s Special Drawing Rights funds, the upcoming parliamentary elections in Iraq, and more

The Iraqi Communist Party, which was part of the leading alliance in the last elections in 2018, announced in July that it will not participate in the upcoming national elections in October due to the lack of a conducive political atmosphere

The opposition in Iraq has said the decision does not go far enough as the parliament had passed a resolution calling for the complete withdrawal of foreign troops from the country

There is increasing pressure on the Iraqi government to act on the presence of foreign troops in the country, particularly since the assassination of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani by the US last year

Protests in capital Baghdad saw thousands mobilize outside the prime minister’s office even as the Iraqi parliament continues to debate the 2021 budget for over a month. Protesters in the oil-rich southern region also forcefully shut down an oil field

Protesters, who marched in several cities renewing their demands for an overhaul of Iraq’s political system and an end to corruption, were met with police repression

Protesters claim that despite the months-long protests and change of government, none of their demands have been fulfilled. They warned of a strike from October 25 if their demands were not met

The protests took place after well-known Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called for gender segregation at the anti-government protests