Sadr followers hold mass prayer outside Iraqi parliament in show of force

Supporters of Iraqi populist leader Moqtada al-Sadr gather for mass Friday prayer in front of the parliament near the Green Zone, in Baghdad, Iraq August 12, 2022. REUTERS/Saba Kareem

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Thousands of followers of Moqtada al-Sadr held a mass prayer outside parliament in Baghdad on Friday in a show of support for the powerful Shi'ite cleric who has called for Iraq's judiciary to dissolve parliament by the end of next week.

Supporters of the populist leader have occupied the Iraqi parliament since July after a 10-month political stalemate that followed elections last October. Sadr was the biggest winner but failed to form a government free of Iranian-backed parties.