Followers of cleric told to withdraw from Iraq’s parliament

By SAMYA KULLAB
Associated Press

BAGHDAD (AP) — Followers of an influential Shiite cleric camped out inside the Iraqi parliament building for a fourth straight day were instructed to leave the building but maintain their protest outside. A representative of cleric Muqtada al-Sadr told the hundreds of loyalists in a tweet to leave the parliament building within 72 hours. They were told to move their protest outside. The sit-in was in its fourth day Tuesday. Al-Sadr and his party were winners in the October parliamentary elections but were unable to muster a majority of support to form a government. His followers stormed the parliament Saturday at his command to prevent the Iran-backed Coordination Framework alliance from voting in a new government.