Clashes Resume in Iraq as Deadline for Politicians Approaches

Clashes resumed this morning in the Iraq, between protesters and security forces, as protesters burned tires near Tahrir Square, while security forces responded by firing tear gas.

Meanwhile, demonstrators cut most roads and bridges by burning tires in Najaf Governorate, southwest of the capital, Baghdad. They also closed most government departments and schools in the province.

The governorates of the south witnessed massive demonstrations also, as a large number of protesters arrived, including university students and clansmen. The demonstrators renewed their threat to the ruling class in case they failed to respond to the demands of the movement.

This came while a deadline earlier set by the protesters in Iraq began to shrink; several coordination groups of the popular movement had set January 20 as the deadline given to the politicians in the country and the officials to implement the demands of the demonstrators- forming a government free of sectarianism, and  investigating the killing of demonstrators, especially in the southern governorates, including the Qar.

Iraq faces a mounting political deadlock in choosing the next prime minister due to public pressure to bring an independent figure from outside the ruling elite.

The issue of consensus on assigning an Iraqi figure to form the government after the resignation of Adel Abdul Mahdi on November 29 is still stalled, especially after a parliamentary committee announced that the president of the republic could replace the prime minister in exceptional cases- a “scenario that the country is likely to turn to.”

According to the latest figures, medical sources and Iraqi police officials revealed that the number of those killed in the demonstrations has surpassed 400.