Demonstrations in Iraq enter the ninth day and Washington calls to respond to the demands of the people

Protesters entered Iraq on Saturday for the ninth day in a row.The protesters gathered last night in Tahrir Square and Al-Sunk Square in central Baghdad and surrounding areas, condemning the failure to meet their demands for political and economic reform, fighting corruption and achieving social justice.The southern governorates witnessed similar protests.

Local sources in Basra province in southern Iraq said that three demonstrators were injured and dozens were suffocated after security forces used liquefied bombs to disperse the demonstrators outside the gate of the port of Umm Qasr on Saturday morning.

Al-Jazeera correspondent in Baghdad, Samer Yusuf, said that the tents of the protesters increased today in the center of Tahrir Square, and that the demonstrators are gathering in other neighborhoods in Baghdad.

The correspondent added that the House of Representatives announced that it will remain in a permanent session to work on the legislation and the issuance of decisions to contain the anger of the demonstrators.

Various segments of society, including trade unions, civil society organizations, university and institute students, tribal people and women, joined the protests.

Friday's protests were the largest since a new wave of anti-government protests began, the largest since the former regime was toppled in 2003.

Thousands of protesters poured into the streets of Baghdad and the central and southern provinces,
Demonstrators expressed their determination to press their demands for the departure of the political class that ran the country for the past 16 years for failing to stabilize the state.

The demonstrators expressed their rejection of the contents of Iraqi President Barham Saleh's speech on Thursday, in which he announced the approval of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi to resign provided the political blocs provide an appropriate alternative and early elections.

For his part, called for the leader of the parliamentary coalition Fatah (second largest bloc in parliament) Hadi al-Amiri constitutional amendments to resolve the crisis in the country.

Promises
Attempts to calm the street and contain this growing anger have not paid off so far, as the promises of political elites to reform and respond to demands still need concrete measures.

For its part, said the Shiite religious authority represented by the highest authority in the country Ali Sistani that it is monitoring developments in what is happening on the ground.

After previous warnings to reject the logic of force and the suppression of demonstrators, it declared that the reform that must be entrusted to the people and not to anyone else is inevitable.

In his sermon on Friday, the representative of the Marjaiya Ahmed Al-Safi stressed that the necessary reform and should be carried out in this regard is also entrusted to the people of all walks of life.

Washington
Yesterday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said an investigation by Iraqi authorities in mid-October into the violence that accompanied the demonstrations in Iraq lacked credibility.

Pompeo said in a statement that the United States is closely monitoring the situation in Iraq, calling on the government to respond to the demands of the people, which he described as legitimate.

He also called on the Iraqi authorities to ease the restrictions, which he described recently imposed on the freedom of the press and expression, and said that his country continues to support institutions, people and security in Iraq, and the stability and sovereignty of the country.