Iraqi president pledges early elections while protesters call for more radical solutions
After a meeting with heads of parliamentary blocs and other top officials, Iraqi President Barham Salih announces a reform plan in response to protester demands.
BAGHDAD — Iraqi President Barham Salih announced Oct. 31 his support for protesters’ demands and pledged to organize early elections and to dismiss the electoral commission and form a new one.
Salih stressed that Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi agreed to resign within the “constitutional contexts.” The president said, “There is an urgent need for reforms in Iraq ... and a comprehensive national dialogue is in the works,” pointing out that the existing system has become unsustainable and that fixing it is one of main demands of the protests, which started in early October.
