Anti-Iran protesters demonstrate in Iraq

Protesters in Iraq are blocking roads and bridges in southern Iraq, condemning Iranian influence and political leaders who have missed another deadline to agree on a new prime minister.

Anti-government demonstrators burn tires in major cities across the south, forcing the closure of schools and government buildings, AFP correspondents report as political paralysis deepens in Baghdad.

Negotiations over a candidate to replace premier Adel Abdel Mahdi, who quit in November in the face of protests against corruption and unemployment, remains stalemated after a midnight Sunday deadline expired.

An Iraqi demonstrator gestures as tyres burn during a protest in Iraq’s shrine city of Karbala, south of the capital Baghdad, on December 22, 2019. (Mohammed SAWAF / AFP)

While a pro-Iran camp has tried to impose a candidate, Iraqi President Barham Saleh has reportedly put up resistance.

Demonstrators announce civil disobedience campaigns in the southern cities of Diwaniyah, Nasiriyah, Hilla, Kut and Amara, where schools and public buildings are closed today.

— AFP