BAGHDAD: Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi’s two main backers have agreed to work to remove him from office as protests against his government gained momentum in Baghdad and much of the south only to be met with violence.
Populist cleric Moqtada al Sadr, who leads parliament’s largest bloc, had asked Abdul Mahdi to call an early election. When the premier refused, he called on his main political rival Hadi al Amiri to help oust him.
Amiri — who leads a parliamentary alliance of militia that holds the second-largest amount of seats in parliament behind Sadr’s alliance — issued a statement late on Tuesday agreeing to help oust the prime minister.
“We will work together to secure the interests of the Iraqi people and save the nation in accordance with the public good,” Amiri said in a statement.
Abdul Mahdi took office just a year ago after weeks of political deadlock in which Sadr and Amiri both failed to secure enough votes to form a government. They appointed Abdul Mahdi as a compromise candidate to lead a fragile coalition government.
Mass protests driven by discontent over economic hardship and corruption have broken nearly two years of relative stability in Iraq. At least 250 people have been killed since the unrest started on October 1.
Meanwhile, operations were at a complete standstill at Iraq’s Umm Qasr commodities port near Basra on Wednesday after protesters blocked its entrance in the previous day, port officials said.
Umm Qasr receives imports of grain, vegetable oils and sugar shipments that feed a country largely dependent on imported food.
The port had been operating at only around 20 per cent of the normal level on Tuesday after protesters blocked its entrance, port officials said.
“Protesters have blocked the main entrance to the port. Trucks that carry goods can’t enter or leave the facility,” said one of the officials.
Thousands of Iraqis have taken to the streets this week in a second wave of protests. — Reuters
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
