Baghdad - (AFP) - In the garden of the Iraqi parliament, demonstrators prepare tea on a primitive stove, while others distribute watermelons. Here, Mahdi's mother came with her four children, determined to stay in the place until Muqtada al-Sadr asked the protesters to return to their homes.

On Saturday, thousands of demonstrators once again filled parliament, their only goal: to remain "obedient" to the influential Shiite leader.

Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is waging a campaign of pressure on his political opponents, rejecting their candidate to head the government.

His supporters, who began demonstrating on Saturday and intend to spend their night in Parliament, dream of social justice, denouncing chronic corruption and lack of public services, in a country that suffers from a deteriorating infrastructure, although it is rich in oil.

Umm Mahdi says, "When Muqtada al-Sadr decides, we go. When he says 'you go', we go." The woman covered her face with a black veil while wearing a traditional abaya, and carried her infant daughter in her hand, while her eldest son, who is 9 years old, stood beside her.

Her three female relatives also came with her. And the woman adds, "Obedience to the master is the most important thing for us in life," referring to Muqtada al-Sadr.

At the entrances to parliament, demonstrators set up a military-style tent, while crates of water were scattered around them. The demonstrators roamed freely around the place, surrounded by security men who dealt with the matter normally, as witnessed by a journalist in France Press.

With the onset of the night hours, about ten small trucks loaded with water, which were placed in coolers, and watermelons arrived, which some cut and distributed to the demonstrators. Others distributed rice with meat.

Nearby, at one of the sidewalks parallel to the garden, some demonstrators gathered around a primitive stove, on which they placed a copper teapot. A tall young man stood on the sidewalk and started selling cigarettes to the protesters.

The demonstrators reject the name of Muhammad Shia al-Sudani, who was nominated by al-Sadr's political opponents for the position of prime minister within the coordination framework that includes Shiite blocs, most notably the State of Law led by former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and the Fatah bloc, which represents the pro-Iranian Popular Mobilization factions.

On the ground floor of the parliament building, demonstrators chanted religious slogans related to Ashura, coinciding with the start of the holy month of Muharram on Sunday, in which they commemorate Imam Hussein.

At sunset, dozens of men prayed, some of whom brought their own carpets.

"I left my home and my family," says Zainab Hussein from inside Parliament, as she dons the traditional black abaya and puts a white shroud on her shoulders to participate in the sit-in.

Women repeat the reasons that make them upset, reasons shared by 42 million Iraqis. "Water, electricity, schools, hospitals," she says.

And she adds, "Why is there no electricity in Iraq? Where do the oil resources go?"

Inside Parliament, some demonstrators sat on luxurious black sofas, while others chose to sit at wooden tables, and some spread blue and red carpets that covered the floor. Some of them passed the time by browsing their phone, and some of them took a nap.

In the streets around Parliament in the heavily fortified Green Zone, demonstrators sat on the grass, or some took a walk to pass the time.

The demonstrators see Muqtada al-Sadr as an opposition figure and an anti-corruption figure, condemning other parties that have taken power since 2003, that is, after the fall of Saddam Hussein. Note that many of his loyalists hold important positions in the ministries.

Sayed Haider, 35, comes from the popular Sadr City neighborhood in the capital, saying, "Corruption pervades all departments of the state."
He added, "Any simple poor person cannot reach the state or the ministry unless he is linked to a political party."
He, in turn, affirms "obedience" to Muqtada al-Sadr, and stresses that he is participating in the sit-in awaiting "instructions." He added, "He tells us 'withdraw', we withdraw. We will return if he tells us to return, even if it is at midnight."
He believes that Muqtada al-Sadr is "the only person who defends the poor today in Iraq."