Why did protesters storm Iraq’s parliament? Five key facts

Thousands of protesters breached the high-security Green Zone in central Baghdad and broke into Iraq's parliament. They braved barriers, guards and water cannons to storm the highly fortified building. Majority of the protesters were followers of the influential Shiite cleric Muqtada Al Sadr. Demonstrators were seen walking on tables of the parliament floor, sitting in the chairs of lawmakers and waving Iraqi flags.

Majority of the protestors were supporters of the prominent Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr who were protesting against the nomination of a new prime minister. No lawmakers were present at the time of the incident. The protesters disbanded only after Al Sadr tweeted: "Your message has been received oh beloved ones, and you have terrified the corrupt ... You must now return safely to your homes."

Al Sadr’s supporters oppose the nomination of a rival candidate for prime minister. Sadr-led bloc won the most seats in last October's general election, but it is not in power due to a political deadlock. The Shiite leader proved unable to form a government in June this year, despite his alliance winning 73 seats, the largest number of seats for a single bloc in parliament, and forming a coalition with Kurdistan Democratic Party and some Sunni parties.

Protestors loitered around the parliament building waving national flags, taking photographs, chanting and cheering. This follows months of stalemate, during which disputes between the country's different political factions prevented the creation of a new government. Al Sadr supporters oppose the candidacy of Mohammed Al Sudani, a former minister and ex-provincial governor, who is the pro-Iran Coordination Framework’s pick for Prime Minister.

Al Sadr had previously supported the idea of a majority government, which would have sent his Shia political opponents from the Coordination Framework into opposition. In a maverick move, he subsequently asked his lawmakers to resign, a move seen as seeking to pressure his political rivals to expedite the establishment of a government. Wednesday’s storming of the parliament is seen as a reflection of both Al Sadr’s street power and Iraq’s fractious politics.