Iraq's military announced a nation-wide curfew and the caretaker premier suspended Cabinet sessions in response to the violence.
Iraq's government has been deadlocked since al-Sadr's party won the largest share of seats in October parliamentary elections, but not enough to secure a majority government. His refusal to negotiate with his Iran-backed Shiite rivals and subsequent exit from the talks has catapulted the country into political uncertainty and volatility amid intensifying intra-Shiite wrangling.
To further his political interests al-Sadr has wrapped his rhetoric with a nationalist and reform agenda that resonates powerfully among his broad grassroots base, who hail largely from Iraq's poorest sectors of society and have historically been shut out of the political system. They are calling for the dissolution of parliament and early elections without the participation of Iran-backed groups, which they see as responsible for the status quo.
During Monday's violence, hundreds of protesters pulled down the cement barriers outside the government palace with ropes and breached the palace gates. Many rushed into the lavish salons and marbled halls of the palace, a key meeting place for Iraqi heads of state and foreign dignitaries.
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An Associated Press photographer heard gunshots being fired and several wounded protesters bleeding and being carried away. Three government officials confirmed at least one protester was killed by gunfire, and medics told the French news agency AFP that the death toll had risen to two.
Protests also broke out in the Shiite-majority southern provinces, with al-Sadr's supporters burning tires and blocking roads in the oil-rich province of Basra and hundreds demonstrating outside the governorate building in Missan.
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