The protests regained their momentum in Iraq yesterday, with demonstrations, cutting roads and bridges with burning tires in the south, in refusal to nominate Qusay al-Suhail to head the government, and denouncing the ruling class, which has so far failed to agree to name a new prime minister, until the position has become a prisoner of political accommodation.

In detail, protests escalated and turned into civil disobedience in the cities of Diwaniyah, Nasiriyah, Hilla, Kut and Amara, in the south of the country, where schools and government departments closed yesterday.

And the governorate of Nasiriyah announced that it was considered an official holiday yesterday, in anticipation of any escalation that the province might witness against the background of the tensions that accompany the nomination of a new head of government. Basra demonstrators, roads leading to the oil fields of tires.

"We have escalated some protest steps, in response to the nomination of a new prime minister for the interim phase of the ruling parties since 2003 until now, who are accused of corruption and stealing the wealth of Iraq," said Ali al-Diwani, one of the Diwaniyah demonstrators.

In Basra, the protesters cut off some major roads, such as the Khur Al-Zubair road towards Umm Qasr, and in Al-Muthanna governorate, smoke plumes rose as a result of cutting roads with burning tires, in protest against the actions of the political blocs.

In contrast, the Iraqi government deployed yesterday, military, security, and intelligence forces in the streets, squares, and alleys, and in the vicinity of government buildings, schools, and around banks and shops, reinforced with military vehicles and wheels, while carrying weapons.

Yesterday, Iraqi demonstrators threatened to escalate the protests in the event that the forces, parties and parliamentary blocs insist on passing the candidate Qusay Al-Suhail to form the new government.

Protesters said that the protest and sit-in arenas witnessed a large influx of demonstrators, after hearing the news about the nomination of Qusay al-Suhail for the post of prime minister, and organized night rallies until dawn, and chanted slogans confirming the demonstration arenas refusing to assign the easy candidate to form the next government, and calling for the nomination of an independent candidate.

The demonstrators emphasized that roads and bridges were closed, tires were burned, insubordination and a general strike were declared in schools, universities, government departments, and took to the street extensively, to compel the parties to withdraw their candidate and designate an alternative acceptable to the public.

The demonstrators announced, in press statements in the demonstration squares the night before last, about developing the methods of the demonstration and raising the state of escalation, and preventing the entry of parliamentarians into the provinces that are experiencing protest demonstrations.

The demonstrators also stressed, in the statements, that the authority of the parties insists on disregarding the demands of the demonstrators, and that the nomination of Qusay al-Suhail is popularly rejected, and they will have a decisive word through millions of peaceful marches, as an expression of their rejection of any candidate from outside the demonstrators' demands.

Meanwhile, sources close to the Iraqi President, Barham Salih, revealed that the President informed the political blocs that he would prefer to submit his resignation than to assign someone to the Prime Minister without harmony with the demands of the street.

This position comes after Saleh rejected the pressure exerted on him to assign the candidate of the building bloc Qusay al-Suhail, who is backed by Iran, despite the end of the constitutional deadline.

And five parliamentary blocs sent in the Iraqi parliament, the night before last, to the Presidency of the Republic an official letter designating Al-Suhail as head of the new government, while demonstrating simultaneously denouncing the latter's nomination.

Suhail's candidacy by political forces appears to challenge the protesters in Iraq, who are demanding an independent head of government, and who does not hold a previous position in the government, in order to extract the country from the deteriorating conditions, which it reached due to corruption and mismanagement, they say.

President Barham Saleh, according to a source in the Iraqi presidency, is putting a "veto" in the direction of Al-Suhail, a former member of the Sadrist movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, who moved to the camp of his opponent, former Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who is loyal to Iran.

Iraqis, who have been protesting since October 1, are calling for a change in the political system established by the Americans, after the ouster of former President Saddam Hussein in 2003, and Tehran controls its joints today.

They denounce the absence of any economic recovery 16 years ago, after half of the oil revenues evaporated during those years in the pockets of politicians and businessmen accused of corruption, they said.

While pro-Iranian parties and their allies are pushing for the appointment of Qusay al-Suhail, Minister of Higher Education in the resigned government as prime minister, the street rejects any figure who held a political position since 2003.

"The demands of the Iraqi demonstrators are simple, and they do not need all this procrastination and procrastination: choosing a prime minister with professional characteristics and who is independent, and does not belong to any party that participated in the political process since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime," said engineer Mohammed Rahman, who is demonstrating in Diwaniya.

In order to renew the political class, the protesters are demanding a new election law.

The government and parliament have begun work to reform the complex system that mixes proportions with the majority, and is in the interest of the larger parties.

The demonstrators are calling for elections on the basis of individual voting, "which guarantees the rise of an elite of the new political generation, who can at least fix what the ruling parties spoiled," according to Rahman.

Amid fears that the street will return to violence, which has killed about 460 people and wounded 25,000, the authority is paralyzed.

On the one hand, pro-Iran allies, with the speaker of parliament, Muhammad al-Halbousi, are pushing for the appointment of their candidate.

Since yesterday morning, Iraq has practically entered the constitutional vacuum after the end of the constitutional deadline for Iraqi President Barham Saleh, to form a government within 15 days of accepting the resignation of the government of Adel Abdul-Mahdi.

Sadr movement leader Muqtada al-Sadr, leader of the al-Hikma movement Ammar al-Hakim and former prime minister Haider al-Abadi support the presentation of an independent candidate to form the new government.

For his part, former Deputy Prime Minister, Bahaa Al-Araji, yesterday described the issue of the constitutional vacuum as a "lie", as the political system in Iraq is a "parliamentary system", while he stressed that the government will remain to conduct business until the formation of a new government.

Al-Araji said, in a tweet on Twitter, that "the constitutional vacuum is a lie, as long as the regime in Iraq is parliamentary, and its current session has not ended, according to the constitutional terms."

- The protesters threatened

Escalating, insistence

On Qusay pass

Suhail.