Several hundred protesters have occupied the national assembly in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on Wednesday.
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The case is updated.
The demonstrators entered the so-called Green Zone, a high-security zone in the capital where several government buildings are located, before taking over the National Assembly.
No politicians are said to have been present when the incident took place. The demonstrators shouted slogans against Iran and are described as supporters of the Shia religious leader Muqtada al-Sadr.
Riot police are said to have used water cannons to push back the protesters, according to sky news.
Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi demanded that the protesters withdraw from the Green Zone immediately, according to Al Jazeera.
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Why is it happening now?
Oil-rich Iraq has struggled with social and political unrest for a long time.
Al-Sadr, the man the protesters support, won 73 out of 329 seats in the National Assembly in the October 2021 elections, making his bloc the largest.
But attempts to get a new government in place have since failed, according to the report France 24.
The demonstrators oppose the presidential candidacy of Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who is a former minister and governor and represents a pro-Iranian political movement.
In late June, 64 new Iraqi lawmakers were sworn in, making the pro-Iranian bloc the largest in parliament.
Muqtada al-Sadr supported the idea of a majority government, because it would send his Shiite opponents into opposition. He reportedly forced his lawmakers to resign from parliament, which surprised many and was seen as an attempt to pressure his rivals to speed up government formation.
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