BAGHDAD: Iraqi President Barham Saleh vowed Thursday to hold early parliamentary elections once a new law is passed and said the country's embattled premier would resign if an alternative was found.
The reforms, announced in Saleh's first televised address in weeks, appear unlikely to appease Iraqis protesting in Baghdad and the south to demand an overhaul of the political system.
"I will agree on early elections based on a new electoral law and new electoral commission," Saleh said, adding that the draft would be submitted to parliament next week.
He said Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi was ready to step down but there was so far no one to take his place.
"The prime minister expressed his willingness to submit his resignation, asking the political parties to reach an agreement on an acceptable alternative," Saleh added.
Such a consensus would "prevent a constitutional vacuum," he said.
According to Iraq's 2005 constitution, the prime minister can be put to a vote of no confidence based on a request by either the president or lawmakers.
It does not address what happens if the premier resigns.
Abdul-Mahdi, 77, came to power a year ago through a tenuous partnership between populist cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr and paramilitary leader Hadi Al-Amiri.
Al-Sadr had called for the PM to resign and for early elections to be held, but Abdul- Mahdi dismissed his demands in a letter earlier this week.
"If the goal of elections is to change the government, then there is a shorter way: for you to agree with Mr. Amiri to form a new government," Abdul-Mahdi wrote.
In Tahrir Square, the main protest camp in Baghdad, Haydar Kazem, 49, said he was unconvinced.
"The problem is with the ruling parties, not with Abdul-Mahdi," he said.
According to Iraq's complex confessional system, the prime minister is Shiite Muslim, the president is a Kurd and the speaker of parliament is Sunni Muslim.
The entrenched political class is often subject to competing influence from Tehran on one side and Washington on the other.
Iraq president says PM willing to resign, vows early polls
Iraq president says PM willing to resign, vows early polls
- Adel Abdul-Mahdi was 'ready to step down' but there was so far no one to take his place
- Reforms unlikely to appease Iraqis protesting in Baghdad and the south
Ceasefire with Kurdish-led force extended for another 15 days, Syrian army says
- The defense ministry said the extension was in support of an operation by US forces to transfer accused Daesh militants to Iraq
- The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces confirmed the ceasefire extension
RAQQA, Syria: Hours after the expiration of a four-day truce between the Syrian government and Kurdish-led fighters Saturday, Syria’s defense ministry announced the ceasefire had been extended by another 15 days.
The defense ministry said in a statement that the extension was in support of an operation by US forces to transfer accused Daesh militants who had been held in prisons in northeastern Syria to detention centers in Iraq.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces confirmed the ceasefire extension.
“Our forces affirm their commitment to the agreement and their dedication to respecting it, which contributes to de-escalation, the protection of civilians, and the creation of the necessary conditions for stability,” the group said in a statement.
Over the past three weeks, there have been intense clashes between government forces and the SDF, in which the SDF lost large parts of the area they once controlled.
Earlier in the day, the Kurdish-led force called on the international community to prevent any escalation.
The end of the truce came as government forces have been sending reinforcements to Syria’s northeast.
Syria’s interim government signed an agreement last March with the SDF for it to hand over territory and to eventually merge its fighters with government forces. In early January, a new round of talks failed to make progress over the merger, leading to renewed fighting between the two sides.
A new version of the accord was signed last weekend, and a four-day ceasefire was declared Tuesday. Part of the new deal is that SDF members will have to merge into the army and police forces as individuals.
The SDF said in a statement Saturday that military buildups and logistical movements by government forces have been observed, “clearly indicating an intent to escalate and push the region toward a new confrontation.” The SDF said it will continue to abide by the truce.
On Saturday, state TV said authorities on Saturday released 126 boys under the age of 18 who were held at the Al-Aqtan prison near the northern city of Raqqa that was taken by government forces Friday. The teenagers were taken to the city of Raqqa where they were handed over to their families, the TV station said.
The prison is also home to some of the 9,000 members of the Daesh group who are held in northeastern Syria. Most of them remain held in jails run by the SDF. Government forces have so far taken control of two prisons while the rest are still run by the SDF.
Earlier this week, the US military said that some 7,000 Daesh detainees will be transferred to detention centers in neighboring Iraq.
On Wednesday, the US military said that 150 prisoners have been taken to Iraq.
