A solid five days of protests in Iraq have led to the government rapidly losing control of the situation. Police are opening fire on public protesters, and curfews are spreading, while being generally ignored.
Death tolls continue to rise, with close to 100 now killed, and anti-corruption protests now sweeping in calls from prominent figures, including religious leader Moqtada al-Sadr, for the government to immediately resign.
Sadr, whose faction is already one of the most politically powerful, says that the entire government should resign and prepare for early elections with international monitors invited to oversee things.
Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi doesn’t seem to be on board for that, as he once again called on protesters to obey the curfew, and promised that political reform was coming. He’s promised that reform virtually since he took office, however, and the lack of delivery is a big part of why the protests are just growing.
Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani also issued a statement on the killings on Friday, saying that parliament is responsible for what is happening, and faulted the government for not answering demands to fight corruption.
Calls for Iraqi Government to Resign as Death Toll Rises to 100
Sadr says govt must resign, and prepare early elections
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