SADR GIVES IRAQI LEADERS 72 HOURS TO VOTE ON TECHNOCRATS’ CABINET
Sadr gives Iraqi leaders 72 hours to vote on technocrats’ cabinet
BAGHDAD — Prominent Iraqi Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr said on Saturday (April 16) protests will resume within 72 hours if the country’s leaders fail to vote on a government of technocrats proposed by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to eliminate corruption.
Sadr warned Abadi, President Fuad Masum and Parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri that protests would resume in a statement issued by his office.
Abadi announced a cabinet reshuffle in February after coming under pressure from Sadr and the Shia majority.
Independent technocrats were proposed as candidates in an effort to loosen the control of political influence and patronage which came after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s Ba’ath Regime in 2003.
Lawmakers held protests in parliament after the list was changed to include candidates nominated by the most powerful political groups.
Sadr is urging Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to move ahead with a plan announced last month to replace current ministers with unaffiliated technocrats to tackle systemic political patronage that has abetted graft.
Following Abadi’s speech to parliament, Sadr called on demonstrators to end their sit-in, describing the proposed cabinet lineup as “courageous” and urging lawmakers to put it to a vote.
(NRT/Reuters)
