Iraq's parliament accepts resignation of PM Abdul-Mahdi

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraq’s parliament accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi on Sunday following weeks of violent protest.

Abdul-Mahdi announced his intention to resign on Friday. It was approved in the presence of 241 MPs

“No one had any reservations about the resignation letter. And the parliament therefore without putting it before a vote, accepted the resignation,” Aram Balatiy, spokesperson of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) bloc in Baghdad, told Rudaw.

“Mr. Mohammed al-Halbousi, the speaker of the parliament, will tomorrow inform Mr. President Barham Salih in an official letter that the parliament has seen the resignation letter from the prime minister and approved the resignation and will therefore call upon him to send another name in 15 days for the establishment of a new government cabinet,” he added. 

Article 81 of the Iraqi Constitution allows President Salih to run the government for 15 days.

“Starting from today, we will have a caretaker government and the ministers will run their daily affairs until a new government cabinet is founded,” he explained. “No legal or constitutional gaps will be created.”

Bakhtyar Shaways, an MP with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) in Baghdad, said: “The president will run the caretaker government along the ministers until a new government is established. The president will not exercise the prime minister's powers.”

Protests demanding jobs, basic services, and action against corruption began in Baghdad on October 1 before spreading nationwide.

The unrest died down during the Shiite religious observance of Arbaeen before resuming on October 25 – this time with calls to sweep away the old political parties that have held power in Iraq since the US-led invasion of 2003.

Iraq’s security forces have been widely condemned for their use of military-grade tear gas canisters fired directly into crowds of protesters, causing fatalities and catastrophic head injuries.

Abdul-Mahdi, an independent technocrat, took office in October 2018 following lengthy government formation talks.

His resignation comes as a Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) delegation is meeting with the Iraqi government in Baghdad to finalize a 2020 budget deal. 

“The good news for the people of the Kurdistan Region is that the Iraqi government voted and approved the 2020 budget law before Adil Abdul-Mahdi decided to resign. And in today’s visit to Baghdad, the Kurdish delegation will only finalize some matters they have already agreed on in principal,” the KDP’s Balatiy explained.

“For the next 15 days, the government can wield its powers and the approved draft budget will be submitted to the parliament,” he added.

This is a developing story…