All You Want to Know After Iraqi PM Abdul Mahdi Resignation

The Iraqi parliament has shortly approved the resignation of Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi, during a session held today in Baghdad, following weeks of deadly protests against his government.

Abdul Mahdi announced on Friday that he will resign due to the wave of anti-government unrest that has left at least 400 people dead since the beginning of October.

What’s After Abdul Mahdi?

During the coming few days, the parliament is set to hold meetings with President Barham Saleh over appointing a new premier after the resignation of Abdul Mahdi.

The largest political bloc will have the right to name Abdul Mahdi's successor, Iraqi parliamentarians and legal experts expect a "political tug of war" to unfold as parliamentary blocs try to forge alliances amongst each other.

Thousands of Iraqi youth have been protesting against corrupt leaders, high unemployment rates and poor public services.

Iraq is now in the hands of a caretaker government, headed by Abdul-Mahdi until the appointment of a new premier after getting the approval of all political blocs.

The new prime minister will be tasked with forming a government to lead the country during the coming critical period.

The unrest in Iraq

The country is still facing a state of unrest even after the resignation of Abdul Mahdi, as protesters say that is not enough. They are demanding wide-ranging reforms to improve the economy, to reduce corruption and to end the Iranian influence in the country.

Demonstrations will continue in Baghdad and other southern regions in the wake of killing one protester and wounding nine others near a bridge in the capital on Sunday, police and a medical source said.

The current unrest poses the biggest challenge for Iraq since the ISIS terrorist militias seized swathes of Iraqi and Syrian territory in 2014.

It pits mostly young, disaffected Shi’ite protesters against a Shi’ite-dominated government backed by Iran and accused of squandering Iraq’s oil wealth while infrastructure and living standards deteriorate.