Iraq PM makes last ditch reforms to halt further protests
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi unveiled yet more reforms on Wednesday in a last ditch attempt to prevent nationwide protests against the government resuming on Friday.
October began with an explosion of street protests against corruption, unemployment, and a lack of basic services. The thousands of mostly young men aged 15 to 25 who came out onto the streets of Baghdad and other cities were met with violent repression.
At least 157 people were killed and 5,494 injured in the wave of unrest, according to a report published by the Human Rights Office of the United Nationals Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) on Tuesday.
Protests are due to resume on Friday after a brief hiatus during the Shiite religious observance of Arbaeen. Influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has withdrawn his support for the government and called on his supporters to return to the streets.
Abdul-Mahdi announced the new set of measures via Facebook on Wednesday aimed at reducing the salaries of top officials, reforming the ministries, providing incomes to poor families, and offering fresh opportunities for young people.
“We will start to make real reforms within the ministries in the next parliament session,” the statement reads. “The reforms within the ministries will be free of quotas and there will be more space for the youth [for government jobs].”
There are fears Friday’s protests could see a resumption of the violence seen earlier in the month. Security forces and armed militias used live ammunition, rubber bullets, tear gas, and sniper rounds to disperse the crowds.
Curfews were also imposed on city centers and internet services cut across the country’s south.
Abdul-Mahdi’s statement again focused on fighting corruption, pledging to establish a central anti-corruption court – a place for “corrupted officials to face justice”.
“We will reveal the corruption cases for the public with full transparency,” the statement added.
Since taking power in October 2018, Abdul-Mahdi has said his government’s priority is to clamp down on corruption. Critics say he has moved too slowly, however, and he is under mounting pressure to deliver tangible results and not just a few token scalps.
Former Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi also promised to fight corruption and to stand up to corrupted officials, but failed to solve the problem during his tenure.
Abdul-Mahdi may believe he can take the sting out of the tail of the protesters by announcing a reduction in his salary and expenses and those of the president, parliamentary speaker, and other top officials.
“Cutting the salaries of the three presidents, ministers, member of parliaments, deputy ministers to half of its current figure” is among the new measures, the statement said. “The salary of the highest position in the country will not exceed 10 million IQD ($8,407 per month).”
The same step was also taken by former PM Abadi in 2015 when the price of oil collapsed.
Abdul-Mahdi also clarified that the US troops which recently crossed into Iraqi territory after withdrawing from northern Syria “do not have the permission of Baghdad to stay inside Iraq”.
Joint Operation Command released a statement on Tuesday claiming the US troops had the permission of the Iraqi government to enter the Kurdistan Region, but only as a transiting point – not the “green light” to stay inside Iraq.
US Defense Secretary Mark Esper arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday. Under the current plan, all US troops leaving Syria will go to western Iraq and the military would continue to conduct operations against the Islamic State (ISIS) to prevent its resurgence.
He later added that the troops would be there temporarily until they are able to go home, but no time frame has been set.