Iraqi Prime Minister announces his intention to resign to parliament

Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi announced his intention to resign shortly after Iraq's top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called on the Iraqi parliament to withdraw confidence from the government on Friday, one of the deadliest days of the two-month protest. .

It became clear for the first time, the support of the 89-year-old Sistani, the angry protests calling since October 1, to «dismiss the government», change the political class that has dominated Iraq for 16 years, accused of corruption, and waste of the wealth of this country.

Sistani said in his Friday sermon, which was read by his representative Ahmed al-Safi in Karbala, that «the House of Representatives, which emerged from the current government, is invited to reconsider its options in this regard, and to act in the interest of Iraq, and to preserve the blood of his sons, and avoid sliding into a cycle of violence And chaos and ruin. ”

Sistani condemned the attacks on protesters and urged lawmakers to reconsider their support for the government.

Sistani warned against "being dragged into internal fighting, and then to return the country to the era of abhorrent dictatorship," and urged government forces to stop killing demonstrators, while appealing to the demonstrators themselves to reject all forms of violence.

Sistani's comments came a day after the highest number of deaths, during weeks of anti-government protests.

After protesters burned the Iranian consulate, security forces shot dead 62 people across the country on Thursday as clashes escalated in the southern provinces.

Hours later, the independent 77-year-old Abdul Mahdi, who has been in office for more than a year, announced his intention to resign.``I will submit to the esteemed parliament the official letter requesting the resignation of the current prime minister so that the council can reconsider its options, '' he said in a statement.

A statement from the prime minister's office said Abdul Mahdi's decision came in response to a call for a change of leadership by Sistani.

The statement signed by Abdul-Mahdi «in response to this call, and to facilitate and accelerate the completion as soon as possible, I will submit to the House of Representatives distinguished letter, requesting the resignation of the current government».

The text of the resignation statement "listened very carefully to the speech of the supreme religious authority, and stated that« in view of the difficult circumstances experienced by the country, and the apparent deficit in dealing with the authorities concerned with the developments of the last two months, in order to preserve rights, and inject blood, the House of Representatives Who emerged from the current government, is invited to reconsider his options in this regard, and act in the interest of Iraq, and to preserve the blood of his sons, and avoid sliding into a cycle of violence, chaos and devastation ».

The statement added «In response to this call and to facilitate and expedite its completion as soon as possible, I will submit to the House of Representatives the official letter, requesting resignation from the presidency of the current government, so that the Council to reconsider its options, knowing that the proximal and distal had already made this option publicly, and in the official , And in the interest of the people and the country ».

The statement did not specify when Abdul Mahdi would resign his government. Parliament is scheduled to meet tomorrow.

Immediately, protesters chanted in Tahrir Square in central Baghdad, expressing their joy at this step, which falls within the framework of their demands to «overthrow the government», and change the political leaders. "This is our first victory, and there will be other victories over the others," one protester said.

"It is also a victory for the fallen martyrs," he said amid cheers and trumpets of three-wheeled tuk-tuk vehicles, which have become the symbol of the protests in Baghdad. It is estimated that more than 400 Iraqis since October 1, in addition to thousands of injured and disabled.

Five demonstrators were shot dead and dozens wounded yesterday in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah, during bloody clashes between protesters and security forces, according to medical sources.

The police chief of the southern city, announced earlier yesterday, his resignation, the day after the resignation of the governor and the dismissal of the military commander in charge of managing the crisis cell, following the bloody chaos in the city of the province of Dhi Qar, which includes historical monuments.

In the southern city of Diwaniya, where a symbolic funeral was held in honor of 46 protesters who were shot dead on Thursday in different cities of the country, one demonstrator expressed his happiness, noting at the same time that "our problem is not the prime minister (only), we want all parties to leave."

"This resignation is the beginning of the implementation of the protesters' demands, and a breakthrough to correct the course of the political process and to inject blood," said Sajjad Hussein, a 35-year-old lawyer, speaking from the protest square in downtown Kut, south of Baghdad.

"We call on the Iraqi Council of Representatives to convene a special session today (Saturday) to withdraw confidence from the government and form a new independent government," said the alliance, led by former prime minister Haider al-Abadi.

Sadr's leader, Moqtada al-Sadr, has repeatedly stressed that the government's failure to resign would be "the beginning of the end for Iraq."

He also expressed the alliance «conquest», which represents factions of the Popular Mobilization supported mostly by Iran, and is the second largest parliamentary blocs, its position in favor of the directives of the Shiite authority.

Qais Khazali, one of the most prominent leaders of the Popular Mobilization factions, said in a tweet «my command to follow you», in reference to the Shiite reference.