Washington Post: Any new Iraqi government will inherit an unruly people longing for change

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A new Iraqi government will inherit an unruly people eager for change amid a split in lawmakers following the resignation of the prime minister, according to a Washington Post report.

Erin Cunningham and Mustafa Salim report in the newspaper that the Iraqi parliament has accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, and say Iraqi lawmakers are divided.

The report adds that the Iraqi people are demanding new election laws and an end to the system in which the spoils of the elite share, and that the only solution in the opinion of many observers may be the unanimity of the parliamentary spectrum to nominate a prime minister who is acceptable to the people and put the interest of the people above all else, it would be political suicide for all .

The paper says that while Iraq is on the brink, the resignation of the prime minister - which came amid ongoing protests calling for comprehensive reform - has paved the way for a new political crisis, as the ruling class seeks to address the demands of the demonstrators.

Face the horizon
The looming standoff in parliament over who will lead the country comes after the resignation, as protesters clash with security forces in Baghdad and other cities in a bid to topple a regime they say favors a petrified elite.

The two-month-old popular protest movement poses the most serious challenge to Iraq's political system since the US-led invasion in 2003.

Officials in Iraq are also struggling with the political preferences of foreign powers such as Iran and the United States, which were heavily involved in backstage political deals before the appointment of Abdul Mahdi last year.

Political wrangling
Abdul Mahdi was named prime minister last year after months of political wrangling in parliament, and deputies and analysts are credited with saying his departure, approved by lawmakers on Sunday, gives the authorities a chance to begin real change in the country.

Iraqis are fed up with high unemployment, widespread graft and lack of government services, and they point to Iraq's vast oil reserves as a sign of wasting the country's wealth.

The report cites Iraqi political analyst Ahmed al-Mayali as saying that Iraq has a historic opportunity to form a strong government free of foreign interference.

The newspaper adds that before the Iraqi parliament - which consists of rival political blocs - only 15 days to choose a prime minister, where he will be granted after 30 days to form a government.

It points out that the leaders of the two largest coalitions - Sadr's leader Moqtada al-Sadr and former chief of the Popular Mobilization Forces Hadi al-Amiri - are openly divided over the resignation of the prime minister.