UPDATE – Iraq's top court says it has no authority to dissolve Parliament

UPDATES WITH COURT’S RULING

BAGHDAD (AA) - Iraq’s Federal Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that it does not have the constitutional authority to dissolve Parliament.

The ruling was issued during a session to look into a lawsuit filed by lawmakers affiliated with influential Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to demand the dissolution of Parliament over the failure to elect a new president and form government.

Tension has been running high across Iraq in recent weeks as rival Iraqi groups failed to agree on a new prime minister since the country’s last elections on Oct. 10, 2021.

More than 30 protesters were killed last week when supporters of al-Sadr stormed the Republican Palace, where the government is seated in Baghdad after the firebrand leader said he was stepping down from politics.

*Ikram Imane Kouachi contributed to this report