What Iraq's rival Shiite forces want
The Shiite political parties are split into two rival camps, the Sadrists and the Coordination Framework, which is far less than unified.
BAGHDAD — Since last elections in October, the Shiite political scene has been divided into two rival camps: the Sadrists, who won the largest bloc with 73 seats, and the Coordination Framework, which consists of parties and militia-affiliated groups supported by Iran.
The two groups are battling both in the parliament and on the streets. A number of protests were organized by the two sides before they both held protests simultaneously on Aug 12.
Immediately after the elections, the Coordination Framework organized protests against alleged fraud in the elections at the suspension bridge at the Green Zone, where most state buildings and foreign embassies are located.
Sadrists and their Sunni and Kurdish allies, the Taqaddum Colalition led by parliament speaker Muhammad Halbousi and the Kurdistan Democratic Party led by Masoud Barzani, worked to form a majority government. But with a blocking third in the parliament, the Coordination Framework prevented the Sadr-Halbousi-Barzani government from selecting a president.
