Young Iraqi protesters want an nonpartisan Prime Minister free from religious and foreign influence, Rudaw English was told in Tahrir Square earlier this month.
Prime Minister Abdul-Mahdi took office in October 2018 following lengthy government formation talks.
He resigned last month after the highest Shiite authority in Iraq, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani asked for the resignation of the government in a Friday sermon.
Tahrir Square has become the epicenter of the anti-government protests which began on October 1.
The overwhelmingly young crowd initially limited its demands to jobs, services, and action against corruption, but has now spread to calls for complete regime change and the dissolution of parliament.
More than 510 protesters and members of the security forces have been killed and at least 17,000 wounded since the unrest began.
On December 4, I met protesters in the tents of Tahrir Square to understand the reasons behind this historical and powerful movement, and their hopes for the next Prime Minister of Iraq.
We agreed that no pictures or video recordings would be taken for security reasons.
Their caution is understandable. Since October 25, unidentified armed groups have been kidnapping and killing young activists.
Just this month, Fahim al-Taie, an activist from Karbala, was killed outside his home by unknown gunmen riding a motorcycle. Several other activists have been assassinated or survived assassination attempts in different parts of Iraq, particularly in Baghdad.
Settling down in the tent, I fire up my voice recorder before asking what will make them leave Tahrir Square, their home for over two months.
“There are no services, no employment and no basic rights, so we are here to change this reality,” says Mohammed, a 19-year old protester from Baghdad.
His hand is tattooed with his name, in memory of his best friend, also called Mohammed, who was killed in the protests.
Salih, also from Baghdad, has been in Tahrir Square since October 25. He goes home every 12 days for 30 minutes, before returning to the protests.
“For the sake of our demands, I go home once every 12 days. I stay home for 30 minutes only and I come back to Tahrir Square,” said the 23-year old.
Asked why he doesn’t stay at home, he says that his soul is not more precious than those of his "friends and brothers who lost their lives for the sake of change and freedom".
“Our demand is that we want only one individual to rule us,” interrupted Hayder, also from Baghdad.
Foreign interference has been one of the largest sources of anger among protesters, with Iranian consulates set ablaze and picture of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khameini defaced.
“Abdul-Mahdi was weak and controlled by Iran, and we say that all the martyrs we gave are because of Abdul-Mahdi and the political parties, as well as Iran mainly,” Hayder said.
Mustafa, a 19-year-old protester who was injured in clashes in Khilani Square last month, agreed with Hayder.
“First, end of Iranian and American influence in Iraq, and then removal of all of the current political parties, change of the constitution, and dissolving of the parliament,” Mustafa listed as his demands.
I was curious to know their requirements for the next Prime Minister.
Um Mohammed, 29, has been in Tahrir Square since October 26, and says former Iraqi Army Commander Lt.General Abdul Wahab al Saadi is the best for the job, as a “neutral” politician.
No one responded to her suggestion.
Besides economic and social grievances, the protests were sparked by the dismissal of Wahab al-Saadi, credited with the defeat of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq, from the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Services (ICTS) at the end of September.
The photo of Abdul Wahab al-Saadi hangs from their tent in Tahrir Square.
Protesters are looking to also remove religion from its influential role in the country’s politics.
Protesters are refusing political parties to appoint an individual to become the next Prime Minister, as demanding an non-partisan PM un-affiliated to Islamic political parties.
Iraq’s various political blocs have been locked in talks to nominate a suitable candidate to Abdul-Mahdi – no easy feat for such a deeply entrenched elite in a deeply divided society.
Several names have been put forward for the job – mainly by parties close to Iran – including Qusai al-Suhail, who has the backing of former PM Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law and Hadi al-Amiri’s al-Fatih coalition.
None of these prospective candidates have the backing of the protesters occupying public squares in the capital Baghdad, who want a clean break with Iraq’s establishment parties.
Fayiq al-Sheikh Ali, a liberal member of the Iraqi parliament, submitted his candidacy letter to President Barham Salih on Wednesday.
Ali is popular among layers of the protest movement and a hashtag campaign has been launched on Twitter in his support.
The United Nations Assistance Mission to Iraq (UNAMI) released a statement on Wednesday calling on political parties to take decisive actions to elect a new Prime Minister that will meet the “expectations and aspirations” of the protesters in Iraq.
“At this stage, time is of the essence, and the situation calls for decisive action. Iraq cannot afford band-aid solutions or coercive measures,” said Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the UN Secretary-General’s special representative to Iraq.
by Lawk Ghafuri
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