Iraq cancels parliament session as nationwide protests continue

The cancellation of Saturday’s session is expected to lead to further escalation as protests continue around the country.

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraq has canceled a scheduled parliament session to vote on a reform package amid ongoing nationwide protests, sources said on Saturday.

Sources told Kurdistan 24 that the “emergency” parliamentary session scheduled for Saturday afternoon was postponed because of an absence of deputies.

Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi has called on parliament to vote on several reform measures to calm the anger of protesters. The Iraqi Parliament had previously said it would hold a session after the protests.

Demonstrations across Iraq began calmly on Friday but quickly turned violent, eventually resulting in the death of 42 people.

Read More: Death toll in Iraq protests rises to over 40 as demonstrations continue

Friday’s chaos followed several days of calm after a week-long wave of deadly protests, which left at least 140 people dead and thousands more injured.

In the days following the first surge of protests, Abdul Mahdi attempted to calm demonstrators with promises of reform and a cabinet shuffle. 

So far, such moves have failed to quell the anger of the public, which continues to call for a complete governmental overhaul amid shortages of public services, high rates of unemployment, and chronic institutional corruption. 

The cancellation of Saturday’s session is expected to lead to further escalation as protests continue around the country.

Sources in Baghdad told Kurdistan 24 that demonstrators had gathered in public squares as well as in other areas across several southern provinces.

Protesters accuse Abdul Mahdi’s government of failing to fight corruption and improve services in the country.