BAGHDAD – Iraq’s prime minister warned his cabinet on Sunday to shape up within 100 days or face “changes”, as protest organisers called for a fresh set of rallies and religious leaders demanded reforms.
Nuri al-Maliki’s remarks came after a third provincial governor stepped down following a series of demonstrations across the country, the biggest of which were on Friday when thousands took to the streets to rail against poor public services, rampant corruption and high unemployment.
“Mr Maliki specified a 100-day period after which an assessment of the work of the government and ministries will be carried out to find out the level of their individual success or failure in performing their jobs,” a statement from his office said, specifying that the 100-day period began on Sunday.
“Changes will be made based on the assessments.” The statement also specified new measures would be taken to combat corruption, such as forcing ministries to advertise all job openings publicly to fight cronyism, with Maliki ordering ministers to root out graft in their own departments before Iraq’s anti-corruption watchdog got involved.
His comments, made during a cabinet meeting dedicated to the rallies, came as protest organisers called on social networking website Facebook for new demonstrations billed as a “Day of Regret” on Friday, March 4, to mark a year since parliamentary elections. It took politicians more than nine months to form a government after those polls, and even now, several key positions, such as the ministers of interior, defence and planning, remain unfilled.
Also on Sunday, the governor of Babil province, south of Baghdad, stepped down, the third such resignation this month, all from members of Maliki’s State of Law coalition. “I have decided to resign because of weak public services and technical problems that have prevented us from completing projects like the construction of roads and bridges,” said Salman al-Zargani.
Basra’s governor stepped down on Friday amid protests in the provincial capital, while Kut’s leader resigned early in February. A day earlier, the spiritual leader of Iraq’s Shiite Muslim majority said the government needed to make progress on improving power supplies, providing food for the needy, creating jobs and combating corruption.
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who is based in the central shrine city of Najaf and rarely wades into politics, also called on Iraq’s leaders to “cancel unacceptable benefits” given to current and former politicians, and said they must “not invent unnecessary government positions that cost Iraq money”.
Friday’s protests took place in at least 17 cities, bringing thousands of Iraqis onto the streets, with the biggest gathering in Baghdad where around 5,000 demonstrators rallied in central Tahrir Square. A total of 16 people were killed and more than 130 wounded as a result of clashes on the day, with Maliki promising on Sunday that investigations would be launched. He vowed that those responsible, whether they be security forces or demonstrators, would be brought to justice.
Parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi demanded a separate inquiry into “the repression of hundreds of demonstrators” and called for early provincial elections, barely two years after the current councils were voted in. Nujaifi described “astonishing repression against the media in a country with the freedom of expression”.
Several journalists have alleged beatings at the hands of security forces while covering the protests, with four reporters pledging to sue Maliki in his role as commander in chief of the armed forces.
“I think we need to hold new elections for the people to express themselves and choose those who can satisfy their demands,” he said at a news conference in parliament.
