The protests in Iraq, that first erupted on October 1, continue after the resignation of Prime Minister Adil Abd al-Mahdi on November 29. With the resignation of the Prime Minister, Iraqi President Barham Salih should have given a new mandate to form a government within 15 days. The constitutionally prescribed deadline was, however, exceeded.

Since no agreement has yet been reached on a government that meets with approval among Shiites themselves as well as among Sunnis and Shiites, no new one could be formed so far. The influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who supports the protests in Iraq, continues to call for new elections under UN supervision. The Shiite religious leader Ali al-Sistani also called for new elections on Friday in order not to further deepen the crisis in Iraq. The call for new elections is also one of the demands of the protesters, of whom more than 500 have been killed and over 25,000 injured since October 1.

Bina coalition demands new prime minister

Instead, the Bina coalition, which is close to Iran, is demanding the immediate installation of a new prime minister and the formation of a government without new elections. In this way, the Bina coalition is reportedly trying to maintain the status quo and prevent a change in Iraq's power structure. In doing so, it is said to be implementing Iranian interests in keeping a government in power under its influence or bringing it to power. Such a step threatens to further deepen the crisis in Iraq.

Al-Sadr appealed to the Bina Coalition and to Qusay al-Suhail, the Minister of Higher Education, who had been nominated as a candidate by the coalition, to respect the will of the people. Suhail had been supported by former Iranian Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and had entered parliament in 2018 on behalf of the coalition.