Hundreds of demonstrators have invaded the Iraqi parliament in Baghdad in opposition to an Iranian-backed prime ministerial candidate.

Most of the men were adherents of Shia Muslim preacher Muqtada al-Sadr, who had urged them to breach the strongly protected Green Zone, which contains government buildings and international embassies.

Wednesday, riot police armed with a water cannon attempted to prevent protesters from entering the zone by scaling cement barrier walls and fences.

In parliament, protesters walked on tables, rummaged through papers, and sat in the chairs of absent MPs while waving Iraqi flags, carrying photographs of Mr. al-Sadr, and chanting anti-Iran slogans.

During the demonstration, interim prime minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi urged protesters to "immediately withdraw" from the region and exercise restraint.

According to reports, security guards did not attempt to stop Mr. al-protest Sadr against Mohammed al-selection Sudani as the official nominee of the Co-ordination Framework bloc, a coalition of Iran-backed Shia parties and their allies.

Iraq's national political system has been in a stalemate since the federal election in October 2021, as it has been unable to build a stable coalition government or elect a new head of state.

Mr. al-Sadr attempted to build a government with Sunni and Kurdish allies, excluding Iran-backed parties led by his longtime foe, former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki.

But Mr. al-Sadr recently resigned from the government formation process. Even though he won the most seats in the October election, he lacked the requisite majority to become Iraq's new prime minister.

In protest of the setback, over 70 of his 329 parliamentary representatives resigned.

Within twenty-four hours of Mr. al-nomination, Sudani's Framework coalition stated that it had been aware of "calls for chaos and strife."

Mr. al-Sadr delivered a post on Twitter hours after his followers took parliament, informing them that their message had been received and to "return safely to your homes." Shortly after that, demonstrators exited the parliament building under the supervision of security personnel.

The United Nations stated that Iraqis had the right to demonstrate, but it was "crucial" that protests remain peaceful and adhere to the law.

The most recent demonstration was the largest since the elections. It was the second time this month that Mr. al-Sadr mobilized his followers en masse to convey a message of potential escalation to his opponents should a government be formed with Mr. al-Sudani at the lead.

In July, tens of thousands of individuals responded to Mr. al-request Sadr for a mass prayer by filling al-Falah Street with white shrouds and Iraqi flags while donning white cloaks. During the prayer ceremony, a tribute was also paid to Mr. a-father, Sadr's cleric Muhammad Sadiq al-Sadr.

Before his death in 1999, his father attended Friday prayer sessions in defiance of Saddam Hussein's administration in the 1990s. The dictatorship was toppled by the US-led Iraq invasion, resulting in Saddam's execution in 2006.

In 2016, Mr. al-supporters Sadr's invaded the Green Zone and seized the parliament building in an attempt to enact political reform. There have been instances of attacks against government personnel.