The palace is where the Iraqi cabinet meets, and Prime Minister Mustafa al-Qadimi has now suspended all meetings of his government until further notice, according to a statement released by his office. Al Sadr said he made the decision two months ago “not to get involved in political affairs” but is now announcing his “final withdrawal” from politics and has closed all his political offices across the country, according to a statement. office on Monday. The announcement came after weeks of tensions and protests sparked by al-Sadr’s decision in June to order his entire political bloc to withdraw from the Iraqi parliament in an apparent show of force after months of political deadlock. At the time, he said his request was “a sacrifice from me for the country and the people to free them from the unknown destiny.” Iraq is struggling to form a new government after parliamentary elections in October in which Iran-backed Shiite blocs lost seats to the Sadrists. Al Sadr, who has previously positioned himself against both Iran and the United States, is popular in Iraq. But his efforts to form a government have foundered in the months since the election amid opposition from rival blocs. Finally in July, the Coordination Group, the largest Shiite alliance in the Iraqi parliament, nominated Mohammed Siya al-Sudani to lead the country — sparking a wave of protests from those loyal to al-Sadr. Iraqi security forces on Monday called on thousands of protesters to withdraw immediately from inside the Green Zone. In a statement, the Iraqi military said it had exercised “the highest levels of restraint and fraternal behavior to prevent clashes or the shedding of Iraqi blood.” “The security forces reaffirm their responsibility to protect government institutions, international missions and public and private property,” the statement said, adding: “Dealing with peaceful protests is done through the constitution and laws and the security forces will do their duty protection of security and stability”. The military declared a total curfew in the Iraqi capital, including for vehicles and pedestrians, from 3:30 p.m. local time. That measure will be in place until further notice, according to a military statement.
