Hundreds of supporters of Iraqi Shia leader Moqtada al-Sadr stormed the parliament in Baghdad’s high-security Green Zone where political and diplomatic buildings are housed in protest at a rival bloc’s nomination for prime minister.
Police fired barrages of teargas in a bid to stop the protesters but the crowds surged forward and entered the parliament.
No lawmakers were present when the protesters entered the building.
The prime minister, Mustafa al-Kadhemi, called on the protesters to “immediately withdraw”, warning that the security forces would ensure “the protection of state institutions and foreign missions, and prevent any harm to security and order”.
Sadr’s bloc won the most seats in last year’s election. But since the vote, talks to form a new government have stalled.