TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iraq’s Parliament accepted the Iraqi PM, Adel Abdel Mahdi, resignation on Sunday, after two months of violent unrest that have left more than 420 people dead. Iraqi PM Adel Abdel Mahdi said Friday he would submit his resignation to Parliament following a spike in the death toll among protesters. Parliament opened […]
TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iraq’s Parliament accepted the Iraqi PM, Adel Abdel Mahdi, resignation on Sunday, after two months of violent unrest that have left more than 420 people dead.
Iraqi PM Adel Abdel Mahdi said Friday he would submit his resignation to Parliament following a spike in the death toll among protesters.
Parliament opened its session on Sunday afternoon and within minutes had approved Abdel Mahdi’s resignation, which according to the constitution renders him and the entire cabinet a “caretaker government.”
The legislature enacted Abdul-Mahdi’s resignation without putting it to a vote, according to two lawmakers in attendance. Existing laws do not provide clear procedures for members of parliament to recognize the prime minister’s resignation. Lawmakers acted on the legal opinion of the federal supreme court for Sunday’s session.
“According to the federal court’s interpretation there is no need to vote,” said lawmaker Sarkwat Shamsedine, during the session.
Lawmaker Mohamed al-Daraji said that Parliament faced a “black hole in the constitution” that didn’t clearly set out how members of Parliament should deal with a premier’s resignation.
The speaker of Parliament said he would now ask President Barham Saleh to name a new prime minister.
Just before the session began, another protester was shot dead in the capital, medical sources said.
The protests are Iraq’s biggest since the US-led invasion of 2003.
More than 20 people were killed in the holy Shia city of Najaf, 40 people in Nasiriyah and three in the capital, Baghdad, in three consecutive days of violence.
On Sunday, calm was restored in Nasiriyah, the birthplace of Abdel Mahdi, who came to power just a year ago based on a shaky alliance between rival parties.
He had resisted protesters’ calls for him to step down over the past two months.
But the violence turned the tide this week, as it prompted Iraq’s Shia spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, to call on Parliament to drop its support for the premier.
In quick succession, political factions indicated they would support a no-confidence motion.
- source : Iran Daily, Irannews
