News   /   Iraq

Iraqis hold protest in Baghdad, call for reforms

Iraqi lawmakers answer journalists' questions on April 14, 2016, following a session at the parliament in Baghdad. (AFP photo)

Thousands of Iraqis protested in the capital, Baghdad, Friday calling for reforms and supporting lawmakers who are participating in a sit-in inside the parliament.

The demonstrators also called for the formation of a technocrat government during the protest in Tahrir Square in central Baghdad.

They said they will keep protesting till their demands are met.

The parliament voted on March 28 to give Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi a three-day deadline by which to present his new government or face a vote of no-confidence.

The premier met the deadline and presented a list of nominees. However, he has faced stiff resistance from some parties seeking to maintain their influence in the administration.

Most of those on Abadi’s list were later substituted with new names on a second list distributed among lawmakers on April 12, triggering a storm and prompting some lawmakers to launch at a sit-in at the floor.

On April 13, a fistfight erupted in the parliament hall, forcing the prime minister to say he would make changes to the disputed names on the new list.

On Thursday, Iraqi lawmakers voted to unseat Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri and his deputies amid the absence of Jabouri and his two aides, and also appointed Adnan al-Janabi, a senior tribal leader, as the acting head of the parliament.

Meanwhile, Abadi on Thursday urged lawmakers to exercise self-restraint, and warned that divisions in the parliament would hinder his efforts to implement reform plans.


Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Press TV News Roku