UPDATE - 1 killed as pro-Sadr protests turn violent in Iraq

*UPDATES WITH ONE KILLED

By Ali Jawad

BAGHDAD (AA) – An Iraqi protester was killed when security forces dispersed a rally staged by supporters of firebrand Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in the capital Baghdad to demand the dissolution of the country’s election commission.

Thousands of protesters gathered in central Baghdad on Saturday as part of rallies called by the Shia leader to demand the formation of a new electoral panel.

Security forces opened fire to disperse protesters attempting to march on Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone, which houses government institutions and foreign embassies, according to eyewitnesses.

One protester was reportedly killed and scores were injured, the witnesses said.

Iraqi authorities have yet to confirm the fatality.

The Shia cleric says that members of the election mission were not suited to hold fair elections in Iraq.

Iraqi legislative elections are slated for April of next year.

For the past year, al-Sadr’s supporters have staged numerous protests in Baghdad in an effort to pressure Prime Minister Hayder al-Abadi to appoint a government of "technocrats" untainted by corruption or sectarian affiliations.

In a dramatic turn of events last summer, thousands of al-Sadr loyalists stormed Iraq’s parliament -- located in the Green Zone -- to press home their demands.

In mid-2015, parliament approved a sweeping raft of reforms ostensibly aimed at meeting popular demands to eliminate government corruption and streamline state bureaucracy.