In the wake of a deadly day in Iraq, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi announced on Friday (November 29th) that he would resign from Parliament.
In a statement, his services say his decision is a direct response to a call for change launched in the morning by the great Ayatollah Ali al Sistani.
The latter called in his sermon on Friday, the Iraqi parliament to withdraw his trust in the government. A tutelary figure in politics, Ali al-Sistani, who supports protesters' demands, has repeatedly called on the government to "hold back". Thursday's violence seems to have changed the situation.
"The parliament from which the current government emerged is called to review its choice and act in the interests of Iraq, to preserve the blood of its children and to prevent (the country) slips into violence, chaos and destruction, "said the Grand Ayatollah, whose sermon was read in Kerbala by one of his representatives, Ahmed al-Safi.
Immediately, the opposition MPs, former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and the turbulent Moqtada Sadr - the first bloc in Parliament - said they were ready to withdraw their trust in the cabinet.
Iraq has been in the grip of a huge protest movement for two months questioning power, corruption of the elites and foreign interference, particularly Iranian, in the country.
This unprecedented move has led to many clashes and overflows, which have taken a new course this week with the attack and fire of the Iranian consulate in Najaf and violent clashes that have left dozens of people dead the next day.
Since the beginning of the crisis, the toll of violence established with medical and police sources now exceeds 400 dead, mostly young protesters and unarmed marchers.
With AFP and Reuters