The death toll is rising to near 100
The death toll has now reached close to 100 as anti-corruption protests have swept the nation. Nearly 4,000 are said to have been wounded during the protests. .
The UN condemned the violence: “The top United Nations official in Iraq denounced the violence during protests that has killed nearly 100 people across the country and wounded thousands of others, saying it “must stop”.”Five days of reported deaths and injuries; this must stop,” Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the special representative of the UN secretary general in Iraq, said in a post on Twitter.”Those responsible for violence should be held to account,” she added.”
There are calls for the government to resign
The powerful religious leader Moqtada al-Sadr has called on the present Iraqi government to resign: “Moqtada al-Sadr, a populist political leader who has a huge following on the Iraqi street, said new elections should be held soon. “Respect the blood of Iraq through the resignation of the government and prepare for early elections overseen by international monitors,” a statement from his office said.”
Another religious leader Ayatollah Ali-Sistani issued a statement holding the parliament resonsible for what was happening and blamed the government for not addressing protester demands. The PM Adil Abdul Mahdi does not appear willing to resign and call elections. Rather he has promised politicial reform was coming. The problem is that he has said that often before with little action. This is a prime reason for the protests continuing. With the number of casualties rising Mahdi may lose control of the situation and be forced to resign.
The government may find it difficult to reform as a recent article explains: ” The problem is that the government is corrupt at every level and the allocation of jobs in ministries – and jobs within them – depends on party allegiance and religious affiliation. This system has gelled since the new government system was introduced after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003 and will be near impossible to reform.”
