Ten months after Iraq's elections, a political standoff pits Moqtada Sadr, a populist with millions of followers among the country's majority Shiite population, against the powerful pro-Iran Coordination Framework, another Shiite alliance.
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Since Saturday, Sadr's supporters have occupied parliament in the usually highly secure Green Zone, which also houses government buildings and embassies.
In multi-faith and multi-ethnic Iraq, forming a government has involved complex negotiations since the 2003 US invasion toppled dictator Saddam Hussein, but in this case, ten months of political stalemate have left the country without a government, a new prime minister or a new president.
