Iraqi protesters camp out in parliament for second day

Iraqi protesters pose with national flags inside the parliament building in Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, July 31, 2022. Thousands of followers of an influential Shiite cleric stormed into Iraq’s parliament on Saturday, for the second time in a week, protesting government formation efforts led by his rivals, an alliance of Iran-backed groups. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil)

Hundreds of followers of an influential Shiite cleric are camped out inside the Iraqi parliament after toppling security walls around the building and storming in on Saturday.

The protesters — followers of cleric Muqtada al-Sadr — pledged to hold an open-ended sit-in to derail efforts by their rivals from Iran-backed political groups to form the country’s next government.