Following the speech of the Shiite Marja .. Iraqi Prime Minister put his resignation before parliament

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi said on Wednesday he would submit a request to resign from the prime minister to allow the council to reconsider its options, following weeks of bloody protests.

Abdul-Mahdi said on Friday he was seeking to prevent the country from sliding into more violence and chaos.

He continued, "I listened very carefully to the speech of the supreme religious authority today and stated that in view of the difficult circumstances experienced by the country, and what appeared to be a clear deficit in dealing with the developments of the last two months to preserve rights and inject blood, the House of Representatives from which the current government is invited to To reconsider his options in this regard and act in the interest of Iraq and to preserve the blood of its people, and avoid sliding into a cycle of violence, chaos and devastation.

Response and joy
He said that "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, noting that the proximate and I have already raised this option publicly and in official memos, and to achieve The interest of the people and the country. "

After Abdul Mahdi's announcement of the move, protesters chanted joy in Baghdad's Tahrir Square.

The correspondent showed that a number of demonstrators wept with joy as soon as this news spread, and quoted protesters their adherence to the fulfillment of all their demands, including the abolition of party quotas.

Condemnation and rejection
This came after the Shiite authority in Iraq condemned the use of lethal force against the demonstrators, and urged protesters to reject violence and not sabotage.

The Shiite authority condemned the use of lethal force against Iraqi demonstrators, and urged protesters to reject violence and not sabotage.

During the Friday sermon in Karbala, Ahmad al-Safi, the representative of the Shiite cleric Ali al-Sistani, called on the Iraqi parliament to speed up voting on the package of electoral legislation, in preparation for fair elections, and warned that Iraq would pay a high price for what he called "procrastination."

For its part, called the "Sairon" parliamentary bloc, supported by the leader of the Sadr movement Moqtada al-Sadr, the Iraqi parliament to hold an emergency session to vote on the withdrawal of confidence from the government.

In a statement, the bloc attributed this call to preserve the interest of Iraq.

For its part, accused the "Salvation Front and Development," led by former Iraqi Vice President Osama Nujaifi, the government to open the door of civil war.

In a related context, said the head of the bloc, "Iraqi Platform" Iyad Allawi that the uprising of the people is now threatening the entire political system.

The Iraqi Dawa Party also called on parliament to convene immediately to take steps to find an alternative to the government.

Heavy toll
The reactions came after the death toll of demonstrations in Iraqi cities yesterday to more than 55 people.

In Nasiriyah, the center of Dhi Qar province, at least 34 people were killed by security forces and more than 240 were injured.

The Iraqi Judicial Council announced the formation of an urgent investigation into the killing of demonstrators, while the Presidency of the Council of Representatives called for a special session on Sunday to discuss the events of Nasiriyah.

Sources said that clashes renewed today between demonstrators and security forces in the vicinity of the police headquarters in the province.

In Najaf, southern Iraq, medical sources said that the death toll of clashes between demonstrators and security forces rose to eighteen dead and more than 400 wounded.

The sources added that an armed force opened fire on demonstrators who managed to reach the grave of Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim, former head of the Supreme Islamic Council, near the Revolution Square in the center of Najaf.

Local sources in the southern province of Maysan said that unidentified gunmen assassinated the activist Haider al-Lami in the center of the province.

The bodies of seven protesters who were killed during the clashes between the demonstrators and the security forces were also buried in Najaf.

The latest deaths bring to 350 the number of people killed in protests in southern Iraq since October 1.

In the capital Baghdad, security sources said that three demonstrators were killed and more than two dozen were wounded by security forces firing live bullets and tear gas at protesters near Jisr al-Ahrar city center. This comes amid ongoing protests on Al Rasheed Street, which is close to Al Ahrar Bridge.